The Workhouse in Castlebar was situated where the Sacred Heart Hospital is located today. There is nothing left of the original building except a wall along the back of the building. Many of the photographs on this website are taken from the Portumna Workhouse in County Galway where they have reconstructed the building with as little interference to the original site as possible. The story of the Castlebar workhouse built in 1840 and opened its doors in 1842.It was designed by the British architect George Wilkinson.It was intended to house up to 600 inmates but then the calamity of the Great Famine occurred in 1845 resulting in masses of paupers from all over the Castlebar Union, begging for entry into the walled confines of the workhouse.