Professor Thomas Lynch (17 November 1922 – 6 January 2005) was the first Professor of Psychiatry at the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ireland's first private university. It was established in 1784 ...

(RCSI). He was also the first to develop a psychiatric unit in a general hospital in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. He was a founding member of the Mental Health Association of Ireland (now Mental Health Ireland) in 1966 and served on a number of boards including The National Drugs Advisory Board, The National Rehabilitation Board, the Central Remedial Clinic and the Eastern Health Board.

Background

Lynch was born in Dublin on 17 November 1922 to Brigid Lynch, a teacher, and Irish revolutionary and politician

Fionán Lynch Fionán Lynch ( ga, Fionán Ó Loingsigh; 17 March 1889 – 3 June 1966) was an Irish revolutionary, barrister, politician and judge of the Circuit Court from 1944 to 1959, Leas-Cheann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1938 to 1939, Minister fo ...

. He attended

St Mary's College, Dublin Saint Mary's College C.S.Sp. (Congregatio Sancti Spiritus) is a voluntary boys' primary and secondary school run by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and located in Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1890, closed in 1916, an ...

before beginning medical school at RCSI in 1941. In 1956, Lynch married Dr. Sheila O'Donovan, a medical graduate of

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

Career

After graduating from RCSI in 1946, Lynch completed his internship at the

Richmond Surgical Hospital The Richmond Surgical Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Máinliachta Richmond) was a general hospital in Grangegorman, Dublin, Ireland. History The building has its origins in a convent constructed by some Benedictine nuns in 1688. It became part of the ...

, where he worked for Professor Leonard Abrahamson. Lynch then worked at

St Patrick's University Hospital St Patrick's University Hospital ( ga, Ospidéal Ollscoile Naomh Pádraig) is a teaching hospital at Kilmainham in Dublin. The building, which is bounded by Steeven's Lane to the east, and Bow Lane West to the south, is managed by St Patrick’s ...

where he obtained membership of the

Royal College of Physicians of Ireland The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), ( ga, Coláiste Ríoga Lianna na hÉireann) is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialities, chiefly through the accredit ...

and earned a diploma in

psychological medicine ''Psychological Medicine'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal in the field of psychiatry and related aspects of psychology and basic sciences. According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2020 impact factor of 7.723. History ...

. In 1952, Lynch spent a year training at the

Maudsley Hospital The Maudsley Hospital is a British psychiatric hospital in south London. The Maudsley is the largest mental health training institution in the UK. It is part of South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and works in partnership with the In ...

Institute of Psychiatry The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) is a research institution dedicated to discovering what causes mental illness and diseases of the brain. In addition, its aim is to help identify new treatments for them and ways ...

. He became a staff psychiatrist at St Patrick's University Hospital in 1956.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Thomas 1922 births 2005 deaths Irish psychiatrists Medical doctors from County Dublin 20th-century Irish medical doctors Alumni of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland People educated at St Mary's College, Dublin