Finding out the location	very easy
Access	hard
Safety	safe
Risk of being seen	high
General condition of the place	good
Traces of vandalism	none or very few
Good place for taking pictures?	very good
Did you see other people?	few

Visit date    February 22 2019 at 12 hr
Visit duration    4 hours

Known to some urbexers as the "X Asylum" a name popularised after featuring on exploringwithfighters YouTube in reference to the unusual X-shaped layout of the building's wings, this is one of the must see places on any urbex trip round Ireland, and in my opinion the best abandoned mental hospital in the country.
The hospital was designed by William Murray,opened as the District Mental Asylum in 1833. New wings were completed in 1871 and 1882. As it expanded conditions became very overcrowded with nearly 1,200 patients by the early 1900s,it accommodated some 2,000 patients by the 1950s. After the introduction of deinstitutionalisation in the late 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and closed in 2013.
Mostly unspoilt decay, with very little graffiti as of February 2019. Almost all of the medical equipment, beds and furnishings were left behind, leaving the building as a sort of time capsule. We spent just over three hours exploring but could have spent twice as long. Access to the roof is also possible via a hidden staircase on the top floor, which we failed to notice on the day. Access was difficult to find, but luckily a gate was open on one of the high metal fences and and this led to the only open window. So many awesome photo opportunities here, with a variety of unusually colorful rooms and corridors of peeling paint.
YouTube video linked.
For more pics of here and other Irish locations check out my Instagram @urbex_eireann

  Text and photos are by Urbex Eireann. Click here to see Urbex Eireann's profile and other reports.

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