The History of
Rotunda Hospital Dublin
In 1745 Bartholomew Mosse, surgeon and man-midwife, founded the original Dublin Lying-In Hospital as a maternity training hospital, the first of its kind.
Way back when
1757
In 1757, the institution moved to a different location where it became “The New Lying-In Hospital”. This is the hospital complex that is referred to today as simply “The Rotunda”.
The Rotunda Hospital is unique as an institution in that it has continued to provide an unbroken record of service to women and babies since its foundation in 1745 and has occupied its present premises since 1757.
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The book, Masters, Midwives, and Ladies-in-Waiting, edited by Alan Browne (a former Master of the Rotunda), and published by A&A Farmar, Dublin, (1995) gives a detailed account of developments in the Rotunda over the period 1945-95, which was the fifty year period of greatest change in the history of obstetrical care.
The Rotunda Chapel
The historic Rotunda Chapel is the jewel in the crown of the world’s oldest maternity hospital. Situated to the north of O’Connell Street, it maintains a special place in the day-to-day life of patients and staff of the hospital.
On Culture Night, we would offer guests a rare opportunity to visit the beautiful Chapel and learn about the history of one of Dublin’s most recognisable landmarks in person. However, in 2020, due to COVID-19 and the fact that the Chapel is situated right in the middle of a busy postnatal ward, we prepared some online material to hopefully give you a taste of this unique space.
Two Hundred and Eighty-One Years.
Almost One Million Babies.
One Maternity Hospital.
This Culture Night get a behind the scenes look at the jewel in the crown of The Rotunda – the Chapel, and let Prof Mike Geary, former Master, tell the story of Bartholomew Mosse and how The Rotunda came to be.
In our second Culture Night video, our Head Librarian Anne takes us through the fascinating life of Bartholomew Mosse, the dreamer and visionary that gave everything to build The Rotunda, and care for the women and babies of Dublin 278 years ago.
After founding the first ‘Rotunda’ on South Great Georges St, Bartholomew Mosse put his mind to building a purpose built Maternity Hospital at the top of Great Britain Street (now known as Parnell St), and we’re still here today.
In our final video for Culture Night , Prof Geary describes the unique features of the Rotunda Chapel, a calm and quiet haven in the busiest maternity hospital in Ireland, a jewel in the crown of The Rotunda.