It was evident to the powers that be that the building of a Lunatic Asylum to accommodate our Mayo patients was a dire necessity and the first shot was fired by the Grand Jury at the spring assizes on the 30th May 1860 with the decision to build a Lunatic Asylum.
At a crucial meeting on 18th February 1862, the contract for the building of the Lunatic asylum was awarded to Mr Andrew Egan the lowest tender in the sum of £ 18,349.39 on Mr Wilkinson’s Architects recommendations and subject to him providing the required securities to the Board of Control.
The Meeting on Tuesday the 25 th of November 1862 saw a dramatic turn of events with the committee having before them the letter of the commissioners of control dated the 15 th November 1862 recommending that the contract be taken from Mr Egan and that he be paid for the actual work done according to the schedule of prices and Mr Wilkinson’s valuations and that if possible, arrangements be made to purchase from Mr Egan the materials subject to Mr Wilkinson’s valuations. There is no reference in the accounts as to why this decision was taken.
The asylum was opened officially on the 24th of April 1866 with a ceremony. The first residents were 125 males and 125 females in total 250. On the date of the opening, there were 132 patients from Mayo who were in the Ballinasloe Lunatic Asylum. They were brought in batches to Castlebar on July the 3rd, August the 3rd,7th September and the 25th and the 19th of October 1866.