Local diocese puts former Athlone school up for sale

The Diocese of Elphin says the upcoming sale of St Aloysius College will provide it “with the opportunity to serve the community, including Coláiste Chiaráin,” its successor.

The former secondary school complex sitting on 5.9 acres is for sale by private tender, with Property Partners Moore Larkin and SherryFitzGerald O'Meara appointed joint selling agents.

Established by the diocese in 1960, it provided second-level education for boys until its amalgamation with St Joseph’s College, Summerhill in 2017, to form Coláiste Chiaráin on the latter school's site.

“Some of the buildings (St Aloysius) were occupied on short-term leases prior to Covid-19, but only one of the three buildings on the site is currently occupied. In recent months the diocese made the old college building available to the HSE for Covid-19 testing, but it has been substantially unused for the past year,” a statement from the diocese explained.

While a number of possibilities for the use of the building were considered and discussed, it is their considered view now that the sale of the building will provide it with the opportunity to serve the community.

The school campus includes the original premises, a beautiful Georgian building dating back to 1820 called Lyster House standing on a 1.33 acres. Refurbished back in 2007, this element of the property is presently rented under licence agreement until June 2024 to a private language school, according to the marketing documents from Property Partners Moore Larkin, who are reporting good interest in the Deerpark Road property.

Then there is the newer school building which replaced Lyster House, dating back to the 1980s with a footprint of 15,828 square feet sitting on 3.8 acres.

In addition, there is St Peter's Sports Hall, an impressive 10,842 square feet gymnasium along with other permanent built and prefabricated classrooms on-site.

Asked why the former school site is being offered via a private tender, the diocese replied: “The Diocese of Elphin has an obligation under the charities legislation to demonstrate that any property transaction serves the objects of the charity. A tender process, as distinct from a private sale, ensures that any interested party has an equal opportunity to inspect and purchase the property and that the sale is carried out in a fair and transparent manner”.

Prospective buyers can request a tender pack with a copy of the contract and relevant documents, and if they have an interest they can make a bid for the site. The date for the close of completed tenders is July 15 next.