Medical Beginnings
Beechwood House nursing home is situated by the banks of the River Arra in Newcastle West, County Limerick. The house originally began being built in 1843 and is a fine example of an early Victorian residence.
It was during the Famine Years (1847 -1849) when it was finished construction as a Fever Hospital, to cater for the “overflow” of starving and ill people from the Newcastle Workhouse (now St. Ita’s Hospital.) It fell into disuse when the distress of the famine abated.
An Ecumenical matter
The next chapter of Beechwood House begins with Dean Richard Baptist O’Brien, Parish Priest of Newcastle West from 1861 to 1885, and quite a National figure as the founder of the Catholic Young Men’s Association and also the author of three novels.
The Dean acquired the old building and in 1872, with the help of a loan from the Office of Public Works, he erected a Presbytery for the Parish in which he took up residence, incorporating the old building. At that juncture the estimated cost was £1500.00 and then again in 1877 the Dean obtained a further loan of £455.00 from the O.P.W. for boundary walls and gates.
Bed & Breakfast
The building continued life as the Presbytery into the 1970s when Canon Donie O’Brien, Parish Priest of Newcastle from 1964 to 1979, built a new Presbytery adjacent to the church and sold the old Presbytery. Mr Charlie Healy and Mrs Violet Healy bought and opened up Beechwood House as a small B&B until it was sold on again in 1978.
The new owners Oliver and Nora Raleigh took over in ’78 and carefully restored Beechwood House to its former splendour with a view to re-opening as a Bed and Breakfast buoyed by the increase in demand for rooms brought about through the construction of Aughinish Alumina in Askeaton.
It was only after this unusual peak in demand for rented rooms subsided, Oliver and Nora were inspired to reconfigure Beechwood House as a well appointed, dedicated Nursing Home.
The House was originally known as “The Old Presbytery” and locally as “The Canons” but now took on its the contemporary name of “Beechwood House” due to the numerous magnificent beech trees which surround it.
To this day on entering the period section of Beechwood House, one gets an immediate feeling of a stately home with an antique hand-carved staircase, period paintings and select items of 19th Century furniture. The Drawing room and Dining rooms are bright and full of character in keeping with Beechwood’s historic past.
Over time Beechwood has come to realise it’s potential as a tasteful yet state of the art Residential and Convalescent home. Initially opening in 1983 the Victorian House was extensively renovated and modernised to include a further 42 bedrooms all with en-suite facilities.
Along with the additional rooms a fully equipped high dependency unit for Alzheimer’s and Dementia patients was added which meant an overall total number of bedrooms to 67.
John, Nora and Oliver’s son has recently taken over the role of Managing Director of Beechwood House.
Alongside John are an expanded team of Medical Care professionals who thrive on ensuring that Beechwood House remains a top name in Nursing care for many years to come and above all that every resident sits at the heart of everything that we do.
Call in, we’d love to meet You
We understand that choosing a suitable Care Home for your loved ones is a big step. We invite you to drop in to Beechwood House, meet the Team, explore the facilities and take in the ambiance. To make your appointment simply call us on 069 62408
Or if you prefer fill out our quick Contact Form and we’ll arrange a time and day to suit you.