Harriet Wheelock

Events of Interest

In the coming weeks there are some notable events occurring that would be of interest to those studying, or with an interest in, the history of medicine.

The Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland's (RAMI) History of Medicine section presents ‘Thalidomide in Ireland 1959-1962’ by Dr Brian Cleary on Wednesday the 19th of March at 6.15pm in Setanta House. This is a free event and you can register at the following link http://www.rami.ie/drupal/?q=node/202

The Centre for the History of Medicine (CHOMI) presents another lecture in the 2013/2014 seminar series: "The most priceless possession of Protestants in this country”: the Adelaide Hospital and upholding Protestant healthcare in Ireland 1950-1972. This lecture will be given by Dr Robbie Roulston (UCD) at 5pm, K114 School of History and Archives, UCD.
You can find out more about CHOMI here.

Finally, ‘Grave Matters: Death and Dying in Dublin 1500-2000’ is a one day conference that will be taking place in the Milestone Gallery in Glasnevin Cemetery on Saturday, April 12th.

The programme is as follows:


9.45: Opening words

10.00-11.20: Panel 1, ‘Graveyards and sermons in Dublin’
  • Ciarán Mac Murchaidh, ‘You may be young enough to live, but you are old enough to die’ Life and death in the sermons of James Gallagher, William Gahan and Silvester Goonan
  • Siobhan Doyle, The Presence of Absence in Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum.
  • Sean Murphy, St James's Graveyard: a unique Dublin city cemetery.

11.20-11.40: tea break provided by Glasnevin Cemetery Museum

11.40-1.00pm: Panel 2, ‘Representations of Death’
  • Mary Ann Bolger, The Ephemera of Eternity: the Irish Catholic memorial card as material culture.
  • Orla Fitzpatrick, Momento Mori: Photography and Loss.
  • Stuart Kinsella, Pomp and memory: commemorating the dead at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin 1500-2000.

1.00-2.00: Lunch
There will be an opportunity to get a tour of the Daniel O’Connell crypt during lunch.

2.00- 3.20: Panel 3, ‘War and revolution’
  • Paul Huddie, “That woe could wish, or vanity devise”: Crimean War memorials in Dublin’s Anglican churches.
  • Ida Milne, Stacking the coffins: the 1918-19 influenza pandemic in Dublin.
  • Brian Hughes, “Well may we be proud of him”: family responses to the deaths of the leaders of the 1916 rising.

3.20-3.40: break

3.40-5.00: Panel 4, ‘Reactions to death’
  • Doireann Markham, “While Ireland holds these graves”: state exhumations of republicans, 1923-1924.
  • Ian Miller, Death, Medicine and Trauma in the Early Twentieth-Century Irish Prisons.
  • James McCafferty, A new kind of death: The Niemba massacre and Irish military funerary ceremonial.

5.00-5.10: brief closing words

Running order is subject to small changes.


This is another free event. Please email gravemattersconference@gmail.com to register.

If you have any events to add to this list please contact us by email heritagecentre@rcpi.ie