A convent, built in Portlaoise over 200 years ago, has been redeveloped into social housing and support services.
The Presentation Convent and lands, which included the former Ha'penny Babies School and Sacred Heart Primary School, had been derelict for many years.
Sophia Housing, in partnership with Laois County Council, took on the project, which saw more than €27 million of public funds invested in the redevelopment and conservation of the site.
The site, on Church Avenue in the Old Fort Quarter of Portlaoise, is home to 52 apartment units as well as support services from Sophia Housing.
Many of the residents have moved in, with four left to complete the move in the coming weeks.
Martin Lawless, from Portlaoise, is among those who moved into the development. Having fallen into addiction, he became homeless.
"Happy, before I moved in, I wasn't happy," he explained.
"I was living on couches, on floors, now I have a bed, I have everything, I have a home now, a front door," he said.
"I'm so excited for the future. I'm looking forward to bringing my grandkids here, they can play in the playground, we can spend hours here, making memories."
The central convent building dates back to 1824 and forms part of a wider complex that included the old primary school and other religious structures.
The original convent has been carefully restored and will be used for public and community spaces as well as more apartments.
The former Sacred Heart school next door is also to be converted for public use.
The Presentation nuns left the convent more than 25 years ago.
Their first plan to convert it for social housing failed after local objections.
It was damaged by fires in 2013 and 2015 and boarded up.
Despite the many challenges, however, the nuns persisted.
"In 1999, the fire officer told us we couldn't stay there any longer it was too unsafe, and we had to decide to leave, and it was also too big for our needs by that time, so we decided to offer it for social housing," Sr Francis Crowe said.
"You can hardly believe it has taken the full 27 years since then to bring it to reality.
"The older sisters, who were going to nursing homes after their lives here, used to pray and every time I met them, they wanted to know anything happening about Portlaoise, and they would be so, so happy.
"They prayed for every bit of the development here, that no one would be hurt, that nobody would be injured, and that it would develop, and we feel their spirit around us still here.
"We're thrilled with this place, and we're thrilled with Sophia, because they follow up with the people who come to live here.
"They don't just give them a house, they actually provide social care and welfare care, and we're very happy about that.
Sr Crowe said seeing the project come to fruition has been emotional.
"I'm 82 now, I'm 65 years entered, and to see our congregation being refounded and been taken on by lovely, wonderful young lay people who are doing the same work now in a different way."
"It's very gratifying and very, very encouraging for us," she added.
'Vision and courage'
The Sophia Housing Agency said it's an example of what can be done when there is "vision and courage".
"This site had lot of challenges, there were a lot of heritage issues that had to be addressed here," said CEO of Sophia Housing, Tony Riordan.
"This was a derelict site, but it was town centre, so it needed vision and it needed courage."
"We are just very fortunate and I think there are lessons for the rest of the country here, that when you get a local authority like Laois County Council and local representatives working together with the housing body, you get to the end product, which is providing homes for life," he added.
CEO of Laois County Council Michael Rainey said there is huge pride in the local authority to see this project delivered.
"This site was a huge regeneration challenge for Laois County Council," he said.
"This was a derelict and vacant site right in the heart in the town and there was adjoining land in equal state of disrepair.
"So this is a key project, to see this whole area redeveloped into a cultural quarter."
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