Recent News

Visiting a Country Estate in Westmeath

Members of the Site Acquisition Committee (SAC) visited a large country house in Co. Westmeath this week. It is not within our current budget. But we are writing about it anyway, because it gives a useful picture of where the search stands and what a suitable centre for Ireland could look like.

The property is Middleton Park House in Westmeath. It’s a mid-19th century mansion that operated as a hotel and wedding venue 25 years ago. It is now vacant and going to auction on 25th June, with an asking price of €1.5 million. View the property listing here.  

Property Details that met our Criteria:

• Midlands location- good location for students from north and south

• Drive to Dublin Airport — 1hr 11min

• Existing buildings — 2,300 square metres across three floors, nineteen ensuite bedrooms, a commercial kitchen still in place in the basement (minus equipment), and a set of rooms on the ground floor that could serve as a Dhamma Hall without any construction.

• Stables and outbuildings for expansion.

• Land — 17.3 acres

• Nearest town — Mullingar 20 mins, Kilbeggan 11 mins

• Peaceful environment — Quiet, rural surroundings, not close to neighbouring properties, plenty of buffer from potential future development/disturbances.

• House is in good condition. Heating, plumbing, and electrics in better condition than expected.

• Zoning — Commercial

• Character/beauty — 5 stars

• Listed Online: 22/05/2026

• 🔗 https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/middleton-park-house-middleton-castletown-geoghegan-co-westmeath/6578084 

The Reality

Our current budget is approximately €888,000. This is made up of savings, old student loans to the trust, and the €500,000 bank loan approved in March. That leaves a gap of roughly €600,000 between what we have and what a property like this would cost, before renovation and fit out (an additional €100-200k?).

We are finding that the properties that look most 'ready to run courses,' tend to cost between €1 million and €1.5 million. There are properties within our current budget, but they are not meeting enough of our criteria- e.g. proximity to a town, room to expand, requiring substantial renovation before running the first course.

Next Steps

The online auction of Middleton Park House starts on 25th June and we will be watching very closely. We cannot afford it at €1.5 million. But if it doesn’t sell, there may be a conversation to be had with the vendor afterwards. We don't know yet.

What we do know is that we are working towards a place like this, which serves 50-60 students, with courses running several times a year and is accessible from anywhere in Ireland. The gap between where we are and where we need to be is real. But it is also not insurmountable.  Every Dhamma centre in the world that exists today was, at some point, a gap that looked too wide.

If you would like to support this project or if you have skills or connections that might be useful to the committee, we would be glad to hear from you. You can reach us at centre-establishment@ie.dhamma.org

Ways to Support Establishing a Permanent Centre in Ireland: 

• Join the committee: Online Thursdays from 8–9pm 

• Give a loan

• Set up a monthly donation 

• Once-off donations 

• Suggest a property

• Corporate Matching

• Knowledge of Grants 

• Offer your skills via the Skills Database

• Use our property checker tool: https://property-checker-ivt.lovable.app/

• Old students based outside the Republic of Ireland can donate via the Vipassana Community Foundation, which offers tax relief on charitable giving

➤ centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org

An Interesting Property Visit

Committee members visited three properties this month. While two didn't meet our criteria, the third generated a lot of interest.

The property was a period house in Co. Longford set on 44 acres for €550k. View the listing here.   

Property Details that met our Criteria:

• Midlands location- good location for students from north and south

• Public transport links- bus within 4 minutes drive and 2 train stations within 20 minutes drive

• €550k price- that would leave us with €300k+ left for renovations including building a Dhamma Hall

• House was in good condition

• Stables and outbuildings for expansion

• More than 10 acres of land

• Not close to neighbouring properties

A server has created the video below to show the features that made it suitable for us to consider: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzG5FTnjBI4&feature=youtu.be 

Sale Agreed before we could visit

With our €887k budget, it’s rare to find such a suitable place, so we booked a viewing at once, and called an extra meeting where we discussed:

• Talking to the council about planning

• Breaking down the stages of making a bid

• Thinking through renovation works

• Questions to ask at the viewing

Just a few days before our visit, the estate agent rang to say an offer had come in and the owners accepted it. And so we continue...

Our Finances

With our current budget and the criteria we are trying to fulfil, it is proving challenging to find a suitable property. We are seeing properties in the region of €1.5 million that would meet more of our requirements, so additional funds would open up more options for us.

Old students who are in a position to offer a loan of €1,000 or more, can read more at centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org/give/loan. The minimum loan term is five years.

Suggest a Property

Another challenge we are noticing is the speed of the Irish property market. As a volunteer organisation, we cannot match the speed of a private individual buyer. If you know of a property that may be suitable, or know someone who is selling, a personal introduction would be very helpful — having advance notice of a property coming to market gives us more time to review and respond.

Students submitted ten properties this month via the property WhatsApp group, which was a great help. Before suggesting a property, it would be great if you could check it against our search criteria first, as we have quite specific requirements.

Ways to Support Establishing a Permanent Centre in Ireland: 

• Join the committee: Online Thursdays from 8–9pm 

• Pledge a loan or donation 

• Set up a monthly donation 

• Once-off donations 

• Suggest a property 

• Corporate Matching

• Knowledge of Grants 

• Offer your skills via the Skills Database

• Old students based in the US can donate via the Vipassana Community Foundation, which offers tax relief on charitable giving

➤ centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org

Bank Loan: Approval in Principle

This week we received fantastic news that takes us a step closer to realising the vision of a Vipassana Centre on this island of Ireland. We have received approval in principle for a loan of €500,000.

This brings our total available funds to approximately €885,000. This amount is made up of our existing savings of €275,000, €110,000 in student loans together with the loan.  We have an additional €2,620 per month in standing orders which will go to meeting all the various costs of running a centre.

With these resources, we are now in a position to begin seriously evaluating potential properties. Our searches to date suggest that a suitable property is unlikely to cost less than €750,000–€850,000, which means our current funds should allow us to move forward with a purchase when the right property presents itself.

Next step: Fundraising for Renovations

Purchasing a property is only the first step. Renovations, compliance work, and professional fees are likely to require up to an additional €300,000. To ensure we can begin running courses within a few months of purchasing a property, we are continuing to raise funds to cover these costs.

If you are in a position to support this project — either financially or by offering relevant skills — we warmly invite you to get in touch. Additional support at this stage will help us plan more accurately and move forward with confidence as opportunities arise.

To ensure sufficient working capital for renovations, this could be achieved through contributions such as:

• 10 people loaning or donating €30,000

• 30 people loaning or donating €10,000

• 50 people loaning or donating €6,000

We are particularly interested in speaking to professionals with experience in Irish planning law, material change of use, a civil structural engineer and conveyancing solicitor.

Current available properties:

Here are some links for properties that are currently on the market. None meet all our criteria. In order to visit properties, many auctioneers are asking for a Proof of Funds letter. Now that we have the loan approval, we are in the process of getting that letter so we will be able to visit properties. 

• St Kieran's Nursing Home, Co. Tipperary. €650k. 17bed, 5bath, 850m2. View here. 

• Organic Farm, Co. Wicklow. €990k. 5bed, 2bath.   View here.

• The Silver Eel B&B, Co. Roscommon. €850k. 5bed. 762m2.  View here.

• Drumlease Glebe House, Co. Leitrim. €950k. 9bed. 585m2. View here.

• House in Co. Waterford. €595k. 3bed. 225m2. View here.

• House in Co. Galway. €950k. 7bed, 5bath. 571m2.  View here. 

• House in Co. Kerry.  €750k. 7bed 6bath. 690m2. View here.

• House in Co. Carlow. €895k. 5bed. 7bath. 635m2. View here.

“These centres will serve not only the present generation but many generations to come.” S.N. Goenka

Ways to Support Establishing a Permanent Centre in Ireland: 

• Join the committee: Online Thursdays from 8–9pm 

• Pledge a loan or donation 

• Set up a monthly donation 

• Once-off donations 

• Suggest a property 

• Corporate Matching, Grants 

• Offer your skills 

➤ centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org

End of Year Reflection 

In 2025, there has been great progress in establishing the foundations for purchasing a property for Dhamma in Ireland. This builds on the previous two years of work which focused on financial modelling, search and evaluation criteria and our internal systems. 

 Highlights of this year include: 

• The Centre Establishment website was published as a way to share the vision with all old students. 

• A monthly newsletter was started to keep in touch with our community. 

• Your donations increased our savings from €165k to €265k. 

• Loan pledges reached €110k. 

• Overall, accessible funds increased by €210k to €375k.  

• Monthly donations increased from €1100 to €1360. 

• The Vipassana Community Foundation listed our project on its website, helping us connect with our global community. 

• The bank loan application was submitted in October and we await the outcome. 

• Five properties were visited and many more reviewed. 

• 55 people added their names the skills database. 

• Some new people joined the committee. 

• Growth of Dhamma in Europe: France and Germany purchased new centres. Austria ran its first courses in its new centre. Portugal is searching for a property for their first centre. 

Current Interesting Properties: 

These four properties represent the range of possibilities. They also highlight the potential difficulties we have in finding the 'perfect' site.  None are exactly within our first round criteria but all have qualities that make them worth consideration. 

1. Ballinroan, Co Wicklow, €990k, 5 beds, 2 baths, 40 acres (visited Wednesday). View Property

2. Doon Cottages, Co Roscommon, €650k, 27 bed, 9 bath, 50 acres (visited Thursday). View Property

3. Former Padre Pio Nursing Home, Co Waterford, €575k, 19 beds, commercial kitchen, 2 acres. View Property

4. Rooskey, Co. Roscommon. €675k, 7 bed, 4 bath, 26 acres (visited Thursday). View Property  

Ways to Support Establishing a Permanent Centre in Ireland: 

We are looking for expert help in assessing properties, particularly a Civil & Structural Engineer 

• Join the committee: Online Thursdays from 8–9pm 

• Pledge a loan or donation 

• Set up a monthly donation 

• Once-off donations 

• Suggest a property 

• Corporate Matching & Grant Applications 

• Offer your skills 

➤ centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org

Securing a Bank Loan for property purchase - monthly donations

We are almost ready to submit our preliminary bank loan application — a big milestone on the journey toward establishing a permanent Vipassana centre in Ireland.

One important thing we’ve learned is that banks consider recurring monthly income as very important when assessing repayment capacity for a loan.

The good news is that monthly donations have grown steadily. Two years ago, they were €400. Today, thanks to the generosity of 39 old students, they have reached €1,225 each month. That is wonderful progress.

To qualify for a bank loan of up to €650,000, we estimate that we will need to show a consistent monthly income of €2,000. This means we are still €775 short.

The attached graphic shows the number of additional monthly donors that could help bridge this gap:

• €10 per month from 78 people

• €21* per month from 37 people

• €50* per month from 16 people

• €100* per month from 8 people

For Irish tax residents, monthly donations of €21 or more qualify for tax relief. This means the government adds an extra 45% to your contribution, at no cost to you. E.g. A monthly donation of €21 means that Vipassana Ireland receives €30.45.

If you feel inspired to support this step towards a permanent centre, you can set up a monthly donation here. 

With metta,

The Site Acquisition Committee

https://centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org/give/monthly-donations 

Some interesting properties this month that meet some of our criteria: 

• Former Padre Pio Nursing Home, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, €575,000, 19 bedrooms, floor area 604 m², 2 acres: Affordable price, no room big enough for a meditation hall, not enough land, near a main road. 

• Ounavarra House, Courtown, Co. Wexford,  €1,500,000, 7 bed, floor area: 1,090 m2, 22 acres: Secluded location, not centrally located, price is above our current financial capacity.   

• Comeragh House, Lemybrien, Co. Waterford, 850,000, 8 Bed,  Floor area: 437 m², 40 acres: requires significant work and investment.      

Inspiration from Permanent Vipassana Centres around Europe

If you'd like to look at photos showing how other centres around Europe got established and have developed over the years, you can check out the slideshows on our Centre Establishment website: 

https://centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org/inspiration/uk 

Here are some current property listings in Ireland that meet some of our criteria:

• Strokestown, Roscommon, €850k, Waterfront bar/ restaurant/ bed & breakfast
  https://www.daft.ie/commercial-property-for-sale/the-silver-eel-grange-strokestown-co-roscommon/6200157

• Cahir, Tipperary, €1 million, 25-bed hotel and leisure complex https://www.myhome.ie/commercial/brochure/kilcoran-lodge-hotel-cahir-tipperary/4948588 

• Newbridge, Kildare, €985k, 5-bed luxurious residence https://www.myhome.ie/residential/brochure/stonewell-roseberry-newbridge-co-kildare/4942587

Ways to Support Establishing a Permanent Centre in Ireland:

• Pledge a loan or donation

• Set up a monthly donation

• Suggest a property

• Join the committee – meetings are held online on Thursdays from 8–9pm

• Corporate Matching, Grants

• Contact the coordinator: chris.small@dhamma.org 

• Offer your skills- currently seeking support with communications, finance (bookkeeper or accountant), or property purchase or renovation skills (quantity surveyor, builder, plumber, electrician).

We've updated the website with our current numbers which you can view here. The current total is €380,000. Thank you again for your continued support. 

With metta,

The Site Acquisition Committee

Fundraising Progress

This month brought significant progress in our shared journey towards a permanent Vipassana centre in Ireland. In just one month, pledges have grown from €43,200 in May to €210,800 in June.

So far, 15 old students have pledged their support. That brings us to 42% of our €500,000 goal in just three months.

You can view the full financial update on the centre-establishment.ie.dhamma.org homepage and see images above. As previously mentioned, we estimate a suitable property (with renovations) will cost around €1 million with ~€500k from old student loans and donations, €170k from savings and ~€330k from a bank loan. 

Two Property Viewings

The committee visited two properties this month. One of them was interesting—a large, unfinished building in Tipperary. It's listed for €475,000 and includes 20 rooms spread over 3 floors, underfloor heating with first-fix plumbing and electrics already in place. The layout is very suitable for us: It has 2 separate staircases that lead to what could be the dhamma hall where 80 students could easily sit.

The property has been vacant for 19 years and there are some broken windows and signs of vandalism. It would require substantial renovation, as it is largely just a shell—essentially a blank canvas. The location is very tranquil but also accessible as it's just 30 minutes from Limerick City and 20 minutes from Nenagh. Here's a video of it. 

Our next task will be to assess renovation costs. If there are any quantity surveyors or builders in our community, we'd love to hear from you!

https://www.daft.ie/for-sale/detached-house-doonane-newport-co-tipperary/6142200

4,500 Old Students

In June, we sent a once-off email invitation to the 4,500 old students who have sat a course in Ireland in the past 15 years since we started using the online course registration system. Nearly 300 people decided to join this newsletter which now stands at ~900 people. Welcome!

Bank Loan

We are currently preparing to apply for a €330,000 commercial loan, supported by a mortgage broker old student who reached out to help us with our application. We've estimated that repayments would be approx. €3,000/month over 15 years.  At present, 36 students contribute monthly, totalling €1,160/month.

Ways to Support

• Pledge a loan or donation

• Set up a monthly donation

• Suggest a property

• Join the committee – meetings are held online on Thursdays from 8–9pm

• Corporate Matching, Grants

• Contact the coordinator: chris.small@dhamma.org 

• Offer your skills- currently seeking support with communications, finance (bookkeeper or accountant), or property purchase or renovation skills (quantity surveyor, builder, plumber, electrician).

Thank you again for your continued support. We look forward to sharing more progress in the coming months.

With metta,

The Site Acquisition Committee

We are grateful to all who have taken the time to visit the new centre establishment website. Since its launch last month, the website has received over 100 visits. So far, 10 people have pledged to support the project through a loan or donation, amounting to €42,000, and 43 people have shared their skills through the Skills Database.

We are now at a stage where we are inviting further pledges of support towards establishing a permanent Vipassana centre in Ireland. Based on our research, we estimate that we will need at least €1 million to purchase a suitable property. For reference, here are some potentially suitable properties that that sold in 2024 along with their selling price.

Financial Overview

Our current financial overview is as follows:

• Savings: €150,000, accumulated over many years from dāna (donations) given by old students after completing courses.

• Old Students Donations & Loans: Our goal is to raise at least €500,000 from old student support in the form of loans and donations. As mentioned, €42,000 has already been pledged in the last month. You can pledge your support here.

• Bank Loan: We estimate that we can apply for a commercial loan of up to €350,000 which would work out as €3,000 per month in repayments. We currently receive €1,100 per month in standing orders. We are also preparing documentation to apply for a social finance loan from Clann Credo or Community Finance Ireland.

To help us assess our readiness to move forward, we invite old students to consider making a non-binding pledge—either a loan or a donation. These expressions of support allow us to understand our collective capacity, approach estate agents with confidence, and narrow our search within a realistic price range.

Ways to Support

• Pledge a loan or donation

• Set up a monthly standing order

• Suggest a property

• Join the committee – meetings are held online on Thursdays from 8–9pm

• Offer your skills

We’ll continue to keep you informed as the process unfolds. Thank you again for your support.

With metta,

The Site Acquisition Committee

Dear Old Student,

We have created a website that outlines the vision for the centre and the criteria guiding our search for a suitable property. We are looking for an established property in good condition, one that could host courses within three months of purchase. The property should be on at least four acres, with space for a minimum of 50 people. Ideally, it will be located centrally in Ireland, somewhere quiet yet close to a large town with good transport links. The property should also have a large hall or room suitable for use as a Dhamma hall, a commercial kitchen, and a number of shared bedrooms and bathrooms.

Our vision is to establish a centre that will serve Dhamma in Ireland for generations to come. Vipassana courses have been held in Ireland for 28 years, always in rented venues in Tyrone, Wicklow, Galway, Kilkenny, Meath, Louth and Clare. In the early days, volunteers even drove from Dublin to Sligo with chairs and tables strapped to the roof of their car! You can read more about the history of these early courses and how they evolved on the website..

While courses today are run with more ease, a rented venue still comes with many challenges and factors outside of our control. Establishing a permanent centre would not only provide greater support for old students to deepen their practice, but also allow more people in Ireland to access courses in an environment fully suited to meditation practice.

We hope you’ll take a few moments to visit the website and follow along as we continue this process. We will keep you updated by email, and we look forward to sharing this journey with you.

With metta,

The Site Acquisition Committee

Useful Links:

Got useful skills? Add your name to the Skills Database 

Local knowledge? Suggest a property

Get involved and Join the Committee

Pledge a Loan or Donation

Set up a Monthly Donation