St Patrick's Home, around 1907

[Barbara.H]

I found a mention of my great-aunt in the Times online archive for Jan 30th 1907, which said she had qualified as a Queen's Nurse (early district nurse) at St Patrick's Home, Dublin.  Another mention in the Royal College of Nursing archive suggests that she was in Ireland for another 2 years before transfeering to the north of England.

I've seen a few posts referring to St Patrick's as a mother and baby home around the 1930s/40s.  Does anyone know what sort of establishment it was earlier on; was it always a maternity home? 

Any information welcome

  Barbara

[eadaoin]

hi Barbara

is this St Patrick's Home in Blackrock?
I've a feeling that was a Home for unmarried mothers in the 1940s and 50s - I think babies were still looked after there in the early 1980s.

regards eadaoin

[Barbara.H]

Hi eadaoin, thanks for the reply

I don't know Dublin at all, but when I googled St Patrick's Home the address Navan Rd came up and now I see there are one or two rootschat posts referring to a home for unmarried mothers on Navan Road. Is that where you are thinking of too?

I've seen mentions of the mother and baby home going back to the 1930s - would you know if it was around in the early 1900s?  If so it could well be the one m gt-aunt was working in.

  Barbara

[eadaoin]

hi Barbara

no, I wasn't thinking of the Navan Road, which incidentally is roughly in the west of the city. I don't know anything of a St Patrick's there.
Looking at 1922 Thoms directory, I can't find St Patrick's Home (I can't find the Navan road either! - I've the feeling it (part of it?)might have been called Cabra back then).
In the 1937 directory there is a St Patrick's Home on the Navan Road.

I was thinking of Blackrock, which is about 6 miles south .. we used to pass the place in Blackrock on our way to the sea as kids.

regards eadaoin

[cathy kelly]

Hi Barbara,
My mother was in St.Patricks Navan Road from May 1931 untill Nov.1935.This was a home for unmarried mothers from all over Ireland.Mothers stayed with their babies for a time.My mother was there untill she was 4and a half.She was then placed with an' at nurse' mother in Lucan Co.Dublin.When she was 9 she was 'adopted' by this lady.Sadly there are no records of her Mother,This is where i have come to a dead end.www.adoptionireland.com have some photos of the home.

[Barbara.H]

Thanks for your replies Cathy and Eadaoin. sorry I haven't been back to this thread for a while.

I've found the site of the Navan Road home on the maps and I think I know where Blackrock is as well now - thank you! There are so many half-uncovered stories around the mother and baby homes aren't there, I hope something will turn up for you Cathy.

For my great-aunt however, I've now found this article in the Royal College of Nursing Archives, about training nurses in Dublin;
http://rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/VOLUME050-1913/page437-volume50-31stmay1913.pdf   entitled 'St Patrick's Nurses' Home'

I think this is that place I want, as the article mentions training Queen's Nurses there. If I'm reading it right, this St Patrick's Home was a 'home for nurses', rather than a 'nursing home'  so the nurses were based there and went out to work in the community.
It started out in 'the slums around St Patricks Cathedral' and then moved to St Stephen's Green - well even I know where that is 

Thanks again for your help
  Barbara