The Royal Hospital, Donnybrook () is a hospital in
Donnybrook, Dublin
Donnybrook () is a district of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the southside (Dublin), southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district. It is home to the Irish public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) and wa ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, founded in 1743. It was originally set up as a "hospital for incurables" to provide sufferers with food, shelter and relief from their distressing conditions.
History
In
Georgian Dublin
''Georgian Dublin'' is a phrase used in terms of the history of Dublin that has two interwoven meanings:
# to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin, Ireland, from 1714 (the beginning of the reign of King George I ...
there were a number of charitable music societies that raised money to alleviate the suffering of the poor and ill. There was no system of public welfare, nor, until much later, any general policy on the part of the government to alleviate the problem of poverty, which pervaded the city at that time. One of these societies was the Dublin Charitable Musical Society of Crow Street, the leading light of which was
Richard Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington
Richard Colley Wesley, 1st Baron Mornington ( – 31 January 1758) was an Irish peer, best remembered as the grandfather of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
Biography
Richard Colley (as he was christened) was born around 1690, the son ...
, a politician (
MP for
Trim
Trim or TRIM may refer to:
Cutting
* Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them
** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process
** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees
Decoration
* Trim (sewing), or ...
1729-1746) and amateur violinist who took part in charity concerts.
Fleet Street
The society decided in 1743 to donate their funds to set up and support a hospital for incurables. A house for this purpose was rented in
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
, fitted up, and opened, with a nurse, a staff of doctors and surgeons, and 23 patients as the "Hospital for Incurables, Dublin" on 23 May 1744.
[John Watson: The Gentleman and Citizen's Almanack for 1745, quoted in Burke, p. 3] In the early years of the hospital, the doctors included Francis Le Hunte (from
County Wexford
County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...
, a founder-member of the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
).
[
]
Townsend Street
The hospital moved to Townsend Street in 1753. An illustration of this hospital features in the Dublin magazine in April 1762.
Donnybrook (1793)
In 1793 the hospital exchanged location with the Lock Hospital
A lock hospital was an establishment that specialised in treating venereal disease, sexually transmitted diseases. They operated in Britain and its colonies and territories from the 18th century to the 20th.
History
The military had a close ...
, which suited both hospitals and moved to Donnybrook, a suburb of the city.James Rawson Carroll
James Rawson Carroll, FRIA (1830 – November 30, 1911) was an Irish people, Irish architect who was involved in many projects throughout Ireland during the Victorian Era. He was a founding partner of the Carroll & Batchelor architectural firm i ...
in the 1880s and received a Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...
and became the "Royal Hospital for Incurables, Dublin" in 1887.[
]
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Authority control
Hospitals in Dublin (city)
1743 establishments in Ireland
Hospitals established in the 1740s
Voluntary hospitals