Rotunda Hospital
The Rotunda Hospital. Photo: Leonid Androniv, Getty Images.

Discovering Early 20th Century Dublin

If you are interested in learning more about discovering early 20th century Dublin before you visit Ireland's capital, you might want to pick up the latest novel from the award-winning novelist Emma Donoghue, published in 2020.

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A colorized version of O'Connell Street at the beginning of the 20th century. Photo: Public Domain.

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Titled, The Pull of the Stars, Donoghue’s novel is set in a maternity ward at the height of the Spanish Flu that killed over 50 million people worldwide.

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A nurse at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 1918. The Spanish Flu, as it was known, spread quickly, eventually killing 50 million people worldwide. Photo: Public Domain.

The book will give you a taste of the time period, as well as some insight into how the pandemic of 1918 affected the city and Ireland in general.

The Irish-born author, who lives in Canada, is best-known for penning the novel, “Room,” which was made into an award-winning film.

Her latest novel tells the story of three women who work in an understaffed maternity hospital in the early years of 20th century Dublin.

They include Nurse Julia Power, who is caring for expectant mothers that are suffering from a mysterious illness.

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A plaque outside Rotunda Hospital known as “The Rotunda Rink” remembers the Irish volunteers who fought for the country's freedom, including Dr. Kathleen Lynn. Photo: William Murphy, https://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The other two characters include a young volunteer, Bridie Sweeney, as well as the real-life Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a Sinn Fein revolutionary leader, who worked as a house surgeon at the Rotunda Hospital and as a general practitioner in Rathmines, Dublin.

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Read Kathleen Lynn, Irishwoman, Patriot, Doctor

Donoghue’s novel shows how the lives of the three characters intertwine as they cope with loss and incurable disease.

Her detailed research will certainly help readers interested in discovering early 20th-century Dublin.

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History of The Rotunda Hospital

The hospital that the characters work in, while a fictional location, could surely have been the Rotunda Hospital, the oldest continuously operating maternity hospital in the world.

The Rotunda Hospital was founded in 1745 by Bartholomew Mosse, a surgeon and male midwife, who had lost his first wife and newborn during labor.

a large building discovering early 20th-century Dublin
The exterior of the hospital today. Photo: By Alison Cassidy – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31824281

Mosse’s goal was to provide medical care for the penniless mothers of Dublin who lived in awful conditions.

Few doctors had midwifery training at the time and those who practiced it were often penalized.

Mosse sought to change all of that by creating a dedicated maternity hospital in Dublin’s inner city.

The Rotunda Hospital, first known as the “Hospital for the Relief of Poor Lying-In Women Dublin,” referring to the suggested month-long postpartum period, was eventually granted a Royal Charter by King George II in 1756.

a sketch of a large build discovering early 20th-century Dublin
A sketch of the hospital as it looked in 1780. Photo: By Alison Cassidy – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31824281

The charter raised its status from a small charitable institution to that of national status and worthy of government funding.

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Read More Books on Irish History

While the original 10-bed hospital was housed in a former theater building on George's Lane, it was clear that after the first year and the successful delivery of 190 babies that a newer, more modern hospital would be needed.

The noted architect Richard Cassells, who also happened to be Mosse's friend, was asked to design the new one.

a large building with a bus and traffic outside discovering early 20th-century dublin
A view of Trinity College from the street. Photo: Gareth Byrne for Failte Ireland.

Cassell's notable works include Leinster House, Trinity College, and Russborough House, among others.

An opulent chapel was added to the new building, which attracted many of the city's wealthy residents.

Learn more about the Rotunda by taking a virtual tour.

Read more: Dublin's Top 10 Guided Tours

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