Bethel Albert Herbert Solomons (27 February 1885 – 11 September 1965),Goodwin, p377 born into a prominent Jewish family, was an Irish medical doctor and an international rugby player for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and supporter of the 1916 Rising.

Early life

Bethel Albert Herbert Solomons born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, to a prominent Jewish family, one of the oldest continuous Jewish families in Ireland. The Solomons came over to Ireland from England in 1824. Bethel Solomons was the son of Maurice Solomons (1832–1922), an optician whose practice is mentioned in

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

's ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

.'' His grandmother Rosa Jacobs Solomons (1833–1926) was born in Hull in England. Bethel's elder brother Edwin (1879–1964) was a stockbroker and prominent member of the Dublin Jewish community. His sister

Estella Solomons Estella Francis Solomons (1882–1968) was one of the leading Irish artists of her generation. Early life and family She was born in Dublin, Ireland, the daughter of Maurice Solomons (1832–1922), and poet Rosa Jane Jacobs. Her father was an o ...

(1882–1968) was a leading artist, and a member of

Cumann na mBan Cumann na mBan (; literally "The Women's Council" but calling themselves The Irishwomen's Council in English), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and di ...

during the 1916 rising; she married poet and publisher

Seamus O'Sullivan Seumas or Seamus O'Sullivan (born James Sullivan Starkey; 17 July 1879 – 24 March 1958) was an Irish poetry, Irish poet and editor of ''The Dublin Magazine''. His father, William Starkey (1836-1918), a physician, was also a poet and a friend of S ...

. His younger sister Sophie was a trained opera singer.

Career

Solomons attended St. Andrews School in Dublin where he was very interested in rugby; He earned 10 international rugby caps for Ireland (1908–1910). He studied medicine in

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

, became a medical doctor, and was Master of the

Rotunda Hospital The Rotunda Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal an Rotunda; legally the Hospital for the Relief of Poor Lying-in Women, Dublin) is a maternity hospital on Parnell Street in Dublin, Ireland, now managed by RCSI Hospitals. The eponymous Rotunda in Parnell Squ ...

in Dublin from 1926 to 1933. This is mentioned in

Finnegans Wake ''Finnegans Wake'' is a novel by Irish literature, Irish writer James Joyce. It is well known for its experimental style and reputation as one of the most difficult works of fiction in the Western canon. It has been called "a work of fiction whi ...

''in my bethel of Solyman's I accouched my rotundaties''. He served as president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) in the late 1940s and he practiced from No. 30 Lr. Baggot Street. In a biography of Solomons he was described as "World famous obstetrician & gynaecologist, Rugby international, horseman, leader of Liberal Jewry & of Irish literary & artistic renaissance."

Personal life

He married Gertrude Levy in the liberal synagogue in London in 1916. His second son, Dr Michael Solomons (1919–2007) was a distinguished gynaecologist, a pioneer of family planning in Ireland, and a veteran of the bitter and divisive 1983 constitutional amendment campaign.Dr. Michael Solomons, Obituary
''Irish Times'', December 1, 2007 He was a friend of the founder of

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gri ...

and TD,

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith ( ga, Art Seosamh Ó Gríobhtha; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that prod ...

. Solomons contributed to the purchase of a house for Griffith. Solomons was a founding member and the first president of the Liberal Synagogue in Dublin. Solomon was an art collector, including the works of

Jean Cooke Jean Esme Oregon Cooke Royal Academy, RA (18 February 1927 – 6 August 2008) was an English painter of still lifes, landscapes, portraits and figures. She was a lecturer at the Royal Academy and regularly exhibited her works, including the summ ...

Notes

References

* ''

Encyclopedia Judaica The ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' is a 22-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people, Judaism, and Israel. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, langua ...

'', Second Edition, volume 19, p146 * Goodwin, Terry ''The Complete Who's Who of International Rugby'' (Blandford Press, England, 1987, ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Solomons, Bethel 1885 births 1965 deaths Rugby union players from Dublin (city) Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish Jews Irish obstetricians Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Jewish rugby union players Dublin University Football Club players Wanderers F.C. (rugby union) players Rugby union forwards Irish people of English-Jewish descent Irish hospital administrators Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

Notes

References