The North Infirmary ( ga, Otharlann Chorcaí Thuaidh) was the first general hospital to be opened in Cork. Originally holding only 24 beds, it eventually expanded to 115 beds. It was used as a fever hospital during the

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

, housed Irish soldiers wounded in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and covertly treated wounded Republicans during the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

. The infirmary closed its doors on 26 November 1987, and is now a hotel.

History

The North Infirmary was built on the site of the St Mary’s Church that was destroyed during the

Siege of Cork The siege of Cork took place during the Williamite war in Ireland in the year of 1690, shortly after the Battle of the Boyne when James II attempted to retake the English throne from King William III. In a combined land and sea operation, W ...

in 1690. Construction began in 1719 with the 70 feet long by 24 feet wide building, containing 24 beds, completed the following year. Most of its patients during the early years were from the poor and mostly Catholic segments of society. The infirmary’s initial funding came from donations from the community, but population growth in Cork quickly outpaced this funding. In 1744 members of a musical society used their surplus funds to help expand the infirmary to allow 11 physicians and five surgeons to practice there. In 1836 the infirmary was redesigned by architect William Hill with an increased capacity of 90 beds. During the Great Famine it was used as a fever hospital for most of 1847. In 1867 management of the infirmary was taken over by Daughters of Charity nuns, led by Sr Teresa. In 1883 construction began on a new north wing with funds donated by Lady Combermere, daughter of Dr Gibbings, a physician at the infirmary. The wing, which opened in 1886 with an extra 36 beds, was named in honour of Dr Gibbings. By the time Sr Teresa died in 1909, the infirmary had increased its capacity to 115 beds; it contained a modern operating room, spacious wards and highly trained nurses. In 1917 the infirmary was used by military authorities to treat wounded soldiers sent home from the front lines during the

. During the

, injured Republicans were covertly treated at the infirmary. In the 1980s, due to cutbacks in funding, the infirmary was slated for closure by the Irish government. Though over 5,000 staff from 14 different hospitals marched in protest against the closure, the infirmary closed its doors at 4.46 pm on 26 November 1987. Over the next years the site remained derelict, being vandalised and partially burned. It was purchased in 1996 and redeveloped into the Shandon Court Hotel. After a few years it was taken over by the Choice Hotel Group and extended to 101 rooms. In 2008 it became the Maldron Hotel which is still in operation today.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=February 2018 1744 establishments in Ireland Hospitals established in the 1740s 1987 disestablishments in Ireland Hospitals in County Cork Buildings and structures in Cork (city) Hospitals disestablished in 1987 Defunct hospitals in the Republic of Ireland