Summer vibes in the archive
It’s hard not to let the mind wander to hazy summer days when you come across French hotel letterhead from the late 1800s in a collection of archival records. That’s what happened to me while I was cataloguing the collection of the Royal Hospital Donnybrook. With the last month of summer upon us, following the wettest July on record, the illustrated palm tree-drenched hotel in the South of France looked very inviting.
The author of the letter - dated 1 February 1895 - Ernest A Tietkins is writing to the registrar of the hospital, Thomas Edward Grey from the Grand Hôtel Milliet in Nice. Tietkins does acknowledge that his health is ‘very much better’ but he complains of the cold weather, describing it as ‘very trying’, going so far as to compare it to the weather in England! It is February to be fair. However, the beautiful ink illustration of this palatial-looking hotel, reminiscent of belle époque architecture of the Nice Côte D’Azur region, is still very appealing.
But without an imminent trip to the South of France, I am reminded that the benefits of health spas and natural mineral waters are recorded in our historical Dun’s Library collection.
The library collection contains over 20,000 items relating to medicine and medical education in Ireland from the 17th century to 1950 and includes among others, pamphlets titled, ‘A Treatise on the most celebrated Mineral Waters of Ireland’ 1824 by Dr Michael Ryan and ‘Lucan Spa and Hydropathic as a modern health resort’ 1891 by Dr Thomas More Madden.
So, having read Dr Ryan’s essay from 1824, a trip to a local spa and a dip in the waters off West Cork will more than suffice. Happy holidays!
Jane Moloney, Assistant Archivist