Charity Partners

The Sandymount Hotel is a community through and through. We feel a deep responsibility to give back to the special corner of Dublin that we’ve now called home for 70 years. We consider ourselves privileged to be in a position to support a number of charitable causes that are close to our hearts.

Make-A-Wish Ireland

Make-A-Wish Ireland has one simple aim – to grant the wishes of children living with critical medical conditions to bring hope, strength and happiness. Since 1992, Make-A-Wish Ireland has granted wishes for more than 3,350 brave children across the country and, as a family-run business, The Sandymount Hotel feels proud to support a charity that places family at the epicentre of its incredible work.

The IRFU Charitable Trust

As long-term neighbours of the original Lansdowne Road Stadium (that went onto become the Aviva Stadium), Irish rugby runs through the very foundations of The Sandymount Hotel and we are passionate about helping those who have given so much to the game. As a ‘Corporate Trust Friend’ of IRFU: The Irish Rugby Football Union Charitable Trust, the hotel supports the Trust’s incredible work assisting severely injured rugby players in their everyday lives, and help to restore their confidence and independence.

There are currently 36 seriously injured players in the IRFU’s care most of whom are wheelchair-bound and have some form of permanent paralysis. The Trust helps these players and their families with everyday needs such as medical care, wheelchairs, physical therapy and education, transport including vehicle adaptations, home alterations, and just being there for them when they need someone. It also invests in award winning research in to spinal injury treatments with RCSI, involving their seriously injured players directly in the research.

Help Baby Kai Appeal Fund

Baby Kai was born in December 2022 and by the time he was 5 months old it became apparent that he wasn’t able to move his limbs or head as much as expected for his age. After undergoing several tests and assessments, Baby Kai was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1 in mid-2023.

SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakening and atrophy, leading to a loss of movement. This condition can impact walking, upper body mobility, as well as breathing and swallowing. While there is no cure for SMA, there are treatment options available to help manage its symptoms.

The Sandymount Hotel team has a deeply personal connection to Baby Kai, as his grandmother was a valued member of our team. We have been raising funds to support the ‘Help Baby Kai Appeal Fund’ with all donations going directly toward assisting with his treatment and daily care, including:

· Hospital and home visits for physiotherapy

· Private physio to complement the hospital provided physio

· Speech & language therapy

· Occupational therapy

· Baby Kai’s future needs

· Vehicle suitable for wheelchair access

· Hydrotherapy treatments to try to strengthen Kai’s limb and neck movement

To donate visit: gofund.me/66d57fde

Rosaleen McConn Award

The Rosaleen McConn Award is one of Assumption Grammar School’s most meaningful honours, presented each year to a pupil who has shown great courage, strength, and spirit in the face of adversity, reflecting the school’s motto “Fully Alive.”

The award is named in memory of Rosaleen McConn, a past pupil whose life was marked by resilience and determination. On 17 December 1934, her 11th birthday, Rosaleen’s mother, Elizabeth, was buried after dying in childbirth with her sixth child. Struggling with this devastating loss, Rosaleen was sent to the newly opened Assumption Boarding School in Ballynahinch, where she began to rebuild her life.

Despite her difficult start, Rosaleen went on to build a remarkable legacy. In 1955, with her husband Gerard Loughran, she opened a small B&B in Dublin, which grew into the The Sandymount Hotel—today a 187-room, four-star property that has stood the test of time for over 70 years. On her 80th birthday, 17 December 2003, Rosaleen still spoke of her sadness at losing her mother, and just three weeks later, on 2 January 2004, she passed away suddenly.

In 2023, almost two decades after her death, the Loughran family returned to Assumption Grammar School—Rosaleen’s alma mater—to inaugurate the award in her honour. Each year, it continues to celebrate a student who embodies her resilience, compassion, and spirit, keeping alive the values that shaped both her life and her enduring family legacy.

The 2025 winner, Cara McLaughlin was nominated for her resilience, fortitude and stoicism. Cara has cerebral palsy and has managed to enjoy a full life at school, recently achieving excellent grades to allow her to move on to university.