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.
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.
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 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.
