About St. Ita's Psychiatric Hospital

Built in 1896 as an overflow facility for the Richmond Asylum in Dublin City Centre, St.Ita's Hospital is an impressive collection of red brick buildings dominating the peninsula at Portrane, Co Dublin. St. Ita's Mental Health Services provides acute and continuing care beds for the Psychiatric Services of Dublin North City & County comprising Coolock, Raheny, Baldoyle, Portmarnock Swords, Balbriggan etc. St. Joseph's Intellectual Disabilities Services, also based at St. Ita's Hospital and in the Community provides 310 residential places for persons with varying degrees of intellectual disabilities.

This documentary focuses exclusively on mental health and the care of those primarily with a mental illness.

ST. ITA'S THEN. In it's heyday St. Ita's operated effectively as a self-sufficient mini-town and was looked upon as a 'model' for the care of the mentally ill. Surrounded by 300 acres of farm-land and housing 2 churches, a bakery, a butcher, a tailor, a hairdresser and even a shoe repair service, this hive of industry even had its own fire station, morgue and graveyard. Food for the then 1600 patients and over 300 live-in staff was prepared and cooked in huge on-site kitchens with some of its vegetables grown in the extensive gardens on the campus. Laundry facilities required a staff of seventeen with as many patients also working on a part-time in this area.

ST. ITA'S NOW. Today, many of the buildings are no longer in use with only four long-term wards remaining open. It has been the subject of much public debate in the past decade or more but many questions as to the future of St. Ita's still remain unanswered. Back in the early days, the hospital was divided by gender with the split now being between those with a mental illness and the intellectually disabled. As residential and day-care facilities are further developed, the need for continuing care facilities at St. Ita's, it seems, will reduce even further. Eventually, it has been suggested, all acute beds for the catchment area will be provided at Beaumont Hospital.

'Here we look at St's Ita's which ironically has become almost a by-word for all that is wrong with the psychiatric system and it is startling to think that when it was established in the early 1900s it was considered a model of what a psychiatric service would be. To see the neglect that such a service has suffered during the latter part of the 20th century, I think, reflects very poorly on our society and the priorities we have within our society.'
Dr. Richard Blennerhassett, Clinical Director, St. Ita's Hospital.