Cork cancer support charity launches urgent fundraiser to save its 'home away from home'

Iris House Cork Cancer Support seeks community support to buy its building and continue offering vital cancer care services

Meet and greet room at Iris House Cork Cancer Support. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

A Cork charity which provides comprehensive care and essential services to individuals and families affected by cancer has launched an "urgent fundraising campaign" to purchase the building from which it operates, as it has been put up for sale.

Iris House Cork Cancer Support says that its current premises at 26 St Paul's Avenue, off Lavitt’s Quay in Cork City, serves as its official meeting point and a "home away from home," where it provides vital support to all those touched by cancer and their families, including free counselling, as well as offering a range of complementary therapies and a drop-in centre during the day.

Founded as The Girls’ Club Cork in 2011 by the late Ann Dowley Spillane, herself a cancer patient, Iris House initially began as a grassroots movement to ensure that no one would have to face cancer alone. 

In 2017, the same year that Ms Dowley Spillane lost her cancer battle, the group's name changed to Cork Cancer Care Centre. Last year, the centre rebranded as Iris House Cork Cancer Support.

Since its founding 14 years ago, the charity says that while it has had to continually evolve to meet growing needs, its key focus has always been compassion, connection, and community.

The charity says that the owners of the building where it is based have put it up for sale, and without public support, the essential services Iris House provides could be put at risk.

Linda Goggin James, CEO of Iris House, said the premises is "more than just a building."

"It’s where people come to breathe again, to cry, to connect, and to rebuild,” she said.

“We’re not just providing services; we’re holding people through their pain, and helping them find hope. Losing our premises would be a devastating blow not just to us, but to every person who has ever crossed our threshold looking for light in a very dark time.” 

In a bid to secure its long-term future and ensure it can continue to provide essential care and support to those affected by cancer, the charity has launched a major fundraising campaign to help it purchase its building.

The team behind the charity is appealing to people in the Cork area and beyond for support.

They are asking people to:

• Donate whatever you can to the fundraising campaign;
• to share the charity's story with their networks;
• to organise or support a community fundraiser;
• and to advocate with local representatives to back the fundraiser.

“This isn’t just about bricks and mortar. It’s about preserving a home that holds thousands of stories, tears, laughs, and moments of pure human resilience,” Ms Goggin James.

“We need Cork to rally with us—to help us stay open, stay strong, and keep offering this essential support to anyone who needs it.” 

More information on the fundraiser and a link to donate can be found at www.irishousecork.ie. The charity's team can also be contacted directly at [e-mail].