FAMILIES HOSPITAL

[carmelkearney]

WE LIVED IN THE GREY HOMES BESIDE THE HOSPITAL AND WHEN

BRIAN WAS IN AS A BABY WE WOULD BE SENT OVER TO LOOK IN THE WINDOW AND SEE IF HE WAS CRYING OR IF HE NEEDED HIS SOOTHER, THE NURSES DIDNT LIKE THE BABIES USING THEM THERE WAS A WOMAN IN AT THE SAME TIME[CANT REM. NAME] SHE USED TO HIDE THE SOOTHER WHEN NURSES WERE AROUND.

MYSELF AND MAURA USED TO GO OVER IN THE EVENING WHEN WE WERE KIDS AND SIT IN THE OFFICE WITH SR.ROLY AND HAVE GREAT CHATS . WHERE WOULD YOU GET IT EH LADS


CARMEL K.

[kathyo]

hi all
when my little brother martin was born
he only weigh three pounds
my mum had to leave him there till he put on weight
every morning she went down to make sure
the nurses put a vest on him and making
sure they were looking after him alright
i bet they loved to see her coming,imagine doing
that now?
kathyo

[maryfarrell6]

Hi All
I remember being admitted to the families with really bad tonsils [quinces]I was about 11/12 wasn't even able to swallow water so had to have penicillian injections twice daily very painful :(But I was to ill at first to care. As I began to recover I dreaded seeing Sr Corrigan coming with the shiny silver dish with the needle. Was it just my imagination or were they enormous back then?
I don't know why but I was in the womens ward,turn right at the front door down at the far end,maybe the childrens ward was full not really sure why. Anyway Teresa Reilly O Higgins Tce was in the bed beside me[we were in the same class in school] so had company of my own age but we were well looked after by all the mammies in there. I wasn't able to talk for the first few days and remember Teresa giving me a copy book so I could answer her and for to write down anything I wanted she was great and once I started to get better we had a great laugh. Do remember feeling all grown up when me ma brought me a big bottle of lucozade and a bag of grapes all for me. The only trouble was I couldn't eat or drink them it was torture Joan McCormack, and Monica Mcdonald were daily visitors and would stay until they got chased off when the laughing got so loud it could be heard down in the nurses room. Suffered for years with the same complaint but never again had to be hospitilised because of it. But I couldn't have been in a better place or looked after so well anywhere else. When visiting finished and we had to say goodbye to the ma and da the tears were never far from the surface It was then that the women would take over the mothering and comfort us. We had our hair styled and restyled and had stories told to us and when they thought it was time for us to go to sleep they made sure our prayers were said and we were tucked into our beds and watched over through the night. Talk about being spoiled but we lapped it up, and they made a frightening experience for 2 young girls so much easier. But thats Curragh Mothers for you they looked out for everyones kids as well as their own, a very special kind of mother was all our ma's on the camp

Bye For Now MaryF.

[carmelkearney]

HI MARY, NOT SURE THERE WAS A WARD FOR CHILDREN I THOUGHT EVERYONE WAS IN THE SAME ONE , ANYONE OUT THERE KNOW FOR SURE?

CARMEL K.

[maryfarrell6]

Hi Carmel,
There definitly was a childrens ward remember visiting our Lilian there she was in a cot with a cage on top memory still sticks in my mind to this day and then later Denis in the same ward But if you want to visualise the families in the finest detail go to general discussion page 4 where you'll find another thread on families hospital started by Rose a while back and read her posts she has described everything in the finest details she hasn't missed out a thing right down to the nurses uniform. Well worth a read there are so many memories evoked in that particular thread, and Rose writes everything so well and with a special Curragh humour you almost feel as if you are back there she has a memory not to be surpassed by anyone so far, I thoroughly enjoy all her posts they are brilliant and I love reading them take me right back long may she reign as the Forum Female Oracle, we have a few contenders for the male equivilent!!!
Bye For Now
MaryF

[kathyo]

hi mary f
thats what it was like, every one looked after each other,
and you are so right our mam's were very special
all the best
kathyo

[kellquinn]

Hi all
The families Hospital had three wards, Children’s Ward, nearest Margins shop, The General Ward Right hand side as you entered through the main door, and The Maternity Ward Left hand side sometimes know as the Labour Ward, (wonder why they called it that?). It also contained an operating theatre and delivery room. As you entered through the main door also to the Right hand side was the waiting room and the Doctors Surgery, further in the main door on the left hand side just opposite the Statue of the Blessed Virgin that stood on a plinth her hands outstretched and standing on a Serpent, was the Dressing station, there was also the Nurses Duty Room and the kitchen.
I actually remember two children laid out in the waiting room having passed away. The early Doctors/Nurses in my day were. Doctor Burke (The Badger), Dr Mc Goldrick, Nurses Mary Ward,Anne Briody and Mary Roley, the general staff were Stella Parsons, Mary Flood (O Driscoll), and of course later on Mary Dwyer. As you entered the gate of the Families Hospital there were Rowan trees, Mountain Ash, on each side of the Gates entrance, on the two greens on each side of the gates and inside of the railings grew Cherry Blossom Trees. The whole hospital was surrounded by Pine trees.
There was once an expectant mother living in Plunkett who had to go to the Families, her husband having phoned for an Ambulane from the Guard Room, The Ambulance duly arrived along with Doctor Burke (The Badger), after placing the mother in the back of the Ambulance, The Badger instructed the driver to go to the hospital via the South Road. (Griffith Road) The driver, Hopper Erwin says to the Doc, "Sir that road is full of xxx Potholes" The Doc's reply, sure my job will be half done by the time we reach the delivery room!

Regards
JKelly

[rose5mcdonaghtce]

Ispent weeks in the childrens ward, as I have said on another post, escaped and was then escarsarated in a big cot with a massive cage on top, was tied to the bed in Crumlin due to another attempt to escape, got my appendix out in July '67 in for eight days then was in the Women's ward, fair fed up after about three days, the novelty of the USA and Lemonade wearing offf, but Butch Kelly kept me sane, would struggle out to the toilet, open the window and butch would sit on the bank and keep me company, would tell him to be sure and be over at half five, Miss Graham (Bag of Rags) would come over from the big hospital to say the rosary, would head to the jacks before she came in, she asked Sister Foley to keep an eye, thought I had a post-operative bowel problem.

Rose.

[mary carroll]

Hi All,
Yes there was a childrens ward was admitted myself for swallowing a marble, it my memory serves me right and its not being good to me at the moment, when you went into the hospital you turned left walked down a corridor and turned right into the ward, now I could be completely wrong and it has been a dream, but I think my mum was in a ward that when you came in the main door you turned right walked down the corridor and turned right again into the ward, I think I'm right if not yes it was a dream.

MaryC

[Eileen]

Hi All,

I have been told by my sister that I was in the hospital when I very very little, don't know what for and when my Mam came to visit, I was sitting outside the covers in just a vest and shiverring so she just picked me up wrapped me in a blanket and took me home....

Whatever it was I was in there for can't have been to serious!!!

Eileen

[Eileen]

Hi Mary F,

Really enjoyed your post, I can remember the hospital but not as well as you all - I think that there was a room with a hatch window just inside the entrance (from McDonagh side) where you would get your medicine, am I right??? I not totally sure. I also remember that you could walk the lenght of the hospital from McDonagh down by the woods and come out the other end in Pearse.

Eileen

[tommysweeney1]

Hi everyone,

Enjoyed reading the accounts of your visits to the families hospital
Joey you left out Betty Reilly, she worked there for a good few years, The hospital was a a great asset to have on your doorstep
Having spent weeks there with pneumonia I look back now and can applicate the kindness of the nurses and doctors, I was on the special bottle of Guinness to beef me up after loosing a lot of
weight, didn't like it at first, but soon got a liking for it. I cant remember if there were a telly in the ward I don't think so I could be wrong, Joey I forgot about the statue in the hall as you go in
as I was reading the post I could visualize it. The place was always shining thanks to the ladies who worked there.
I cant imagine to many kids growing up had a facility like the families that you could walk/limp in with your bumps cuts and get looked after almost straight away. wasn't it great.

Tommy S

[maryfarrell6]

Hi Eileen,
That was the men's hospital the hatch at the McDonagh end was the pharamacy and manys a time we used that long corridor on cold wet days to get from our end of the camp to school. Mind you it took ages some times because you always had to time it just right so as not to get caught by any of the nurses or drs suddenly appearing out of some wards if that happened you were sent the whole way back and then had to walk down the road arriving at school cold wet and late and not able to give the real reason why or you'd be in even more trouble. . So you knew it was going to be the cane on those days. Still it didn't stop us doing exactly the same thing next time the weather was bad. I think it was the thrill and the buzz we got if our little escapade was successful once we got to the hatch it was down on our hands and knees then through the double doors taking the steps 2or 3 at a time and then up through mcDonagh as if the devil himself was after us.
Bye for Now Mary F

[kellquinn]

Ho Tommy
I did indeed leave out Betty Reilly,and also Nurse Corrigan as I said in my post the people I remembered were from my time, I think Betty worked in the Hospital after doing her stint with the Army Canteen Board. . I often wondered why we called all the Nurses Sister, I thought that was only for nuns of the nursing profession. Perhaps I am wrong. As regards the telly in the ward, a big no, no. in my day! I do remember at a later stage when I had a daughter as a patient in the hospital, that there was a two station Black and White, with the Rabbits Ears. Another notable item on the subject, was the fact that they always seemed to have chicken on the menu, Squawk!!!! Bye for now.
Regards
JKelly

[andybrennan]

Joey,

just checked nurses / sister got the following

Traditionally, there were three ranks of fully qualified nurses


Nurse

Staff nurse (more responsibility than an ordinary nurse)

(Ward) Sister. This was the highest rank, and a Sister had responsiblity for a whole ward (often 30-40 patients).

Andy