
Safe & Expert Addiction Treatment & Detox
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic, a new 22-bed residential rehabilitation clinic, opens in December 2015 in the Republic of Ireland. It is the third residential clinic to be opened by Peter and Dr. Margaret Ann McCann. Their first two clinics – Clouds House, and Castle Craig, have gone on to achieve great acclaim for consistently high standards. The Duchess of Cambridge is a patron of Clouds House, and Castle Craig has grown into a 122-bed clinic – the largest dedicated addiction hospital in Europe.
By returning to Ireland to start a new clinic, Peter and Margaret Ann are both revisiting their roots, as both attended Dublin universities; Peter McCann read Economics and Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, and Margaret Ann, who hails from Maghera in Northern Ireland, read Medicine at University College Dublin.
Location
Smarmore Castle Private Clinic will continue the theme of a country house setting adapted to clinical use. It is a picturesque 14th-century castle in stunning countryside in the north of the Republic of Ireland.
It is located near Ardee in County Louth, a short distance from the motorway linking Dublin and Belfast. This makes it a suitable treatment destination for patients from Northern Ireland as well as the Republic of Ireland. The clinic will also be open to patients travelling from abroad, and Dublin airport is only 40 minutes away.

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A Key Feature is Cross-Border Treatment
“Smarmore clinic’s services will be open to patients from the UK and across the EU who wish to apply – as a fundamental EU right – for cross-border funding from their home healthcare providers. This either removes or dramatically decreases, the financial burden of specialist addiction treatment, which is often incurred by patients or their families as a result of waiting lists or inaccessible services,” explains Peter McCann.
Cross Border funding relates to a 2011 European Commission Directive affording EU citizens the right to seek treatment in another EU member state. For more information about this legislation, please check our online resource section on Cross Border Healthcare.
Clinical Governance & Quality Assurance
Smarmore Castle will be the first addiction clinic in Ireland, under specialist medical direction and management, to adopt the standards of Castle Craig. Castle Craig’s procedures and policies are accredited with Intertek ISO 9001:2008. The hospital has been highly commended in recent inspections by the statutory Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). Castle Craig’s medical, therapy, and administrative team will be available to lend their advice and support to staff at Smarmore Castle.
Smarmore will have key features which will be unique to any addiction treatment facility anywhere in Europe. This includes a 22-metre swimming pool and spa facility, which is currently being renovated, and made available to patients to assist in their crucial physical rehabilitation.

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Addiction Rehabilitation in Ireland
Over the years, many Irish patients from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have attended Castle Craig in Scotland, but now they will be able to access treatment closer to home.
One of Castle Craig’s former patients, a Northern Irish medical doctor, explained, “We have nothing available in the way of residential care here. I direct potential patients to Castle Craig, but Peeblesshire is just a little hop too far for many.”