St Patrick's the oldest psychiatric hospital in the state celebrates its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary.
Two hundred and fifty years ago writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift died, leaving a substantial sum of money in his will for the creation of a hospital in Dublin dedicated to the treatment of people experiencing mental health difficulties.
Influenced by his time as governor at the infamous Bedlam asylum in London, the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral wanted to see an independent care facility where all profits would be returned to its coffers.
With George Semple as the architect, building work started on the hospital three years later, and opened in 1753. Dr Robert Emmet, father of United Irishmen and revolutionaries Robert and Thomas Addis Emmet, was the hospital governor and treasurer.
Dean Swift’s vision of humane care took decades to come to fruition. In the past patients were often harshly restrained. Many suffered from depression, and as Dr Anthony O’Flaherty explains,
A lot were considered to be in a state of chronic mania.
Now a modern and forward looking mental health service, St Patrick’s treats approximately twelve thousand patients per year.
Work on a hospital museum is currently in progress. Due to open in October on the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Jonathan Swift’s death, it will house an archive, portraits of Stella and Vanessa, and artefacts such as the desk where 'Gulliver’s Travels’ was written.
The museum will be open on a part time basis to researchers, says Margaret Costigan, and will primarily be of interest to students of Jonathan Swift.
An ecumenical service will take place in St Patrick’s Cathedral next Sunday to officially start the anniversary celebrations.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 4 January 1995. The reporter is George Devlin.
