About Us

A sense of belonging and connection
“When you have a girl in your presence, when she is sitting with you, even if you’re having a cup of tea or having dinner, she is with you now, so let now be a nice time.” Sr. Joan O Leary – August 2020Sr Joan O’ Leary established Wellsprings in 1995. Through her work as a nurse in the Mercy Hospital Cork, Joan identified a gap in services for young women who presented with little family or community support upon discharge. Joan dreamt of offering young women a homely environment where they could experience a lifelong connection and a sense of belonging. She envisioned Wellsprings as a source of nourishment; a place where needs are met based upon building meaningful and respectful relationships between the young women and the staff. Joan wished to provide a discreet service in Cork city centre delivering both security and safety to the young women.
Our most adored canine friend
Ben has resided in Wellsprings since 2018 and is full of personality. He is a beagle mix with the most beautiful brown and black colouring. He has deep brown eyes with black markings. Ben’s passion in life is playing catch, running on the beach and in open fields. He has expert fetch skills and loves to learn new tricks.
He is a beautiful companion dog for our young women in Wellsprings and in times of stress and loneliness he has offered endless cuddles and love helping young people regulate and self-sooth. He is a master at relaxation and most days can be found lying around on bean bags with a ball or soft toy. He is super friendly and always excitedly welcomes each person who walks through the door of Wellsprings.

Quality of care and intervention offered to our young people

Valerie McDonnell

Orlaith Hayes

Pat Mullins

Hazel Hanarahan

Kate Culhane

Sean Redmond

Tom Hayes

Micheal Murphy

Ellen Duhig
Lovely things you say about us



Continuing to travel with the young people on a hopeful journey
We are honoured to be a part of each young person’s journey, to enhance their existing resilience, helping them adapt to the daily challenges that life can send their way.

+353 (021) 4318953