On the 19th of September 1757, St Patrick's Hospital opened in Dublin. The opening of the hospital was only made possible by a bequest £12,000 from famed author and satirist Jonathan Swift.
Swift believed in the need for those suffering from mental illness to be treated with kindness and compassion, not the barbaric methods that had previously existed. He acquired his expertise whilst serving as Governor of the Bedlam Asylum in London.
The hospital has seen periods of intese growth, with several extensions occuring from the 19th century onwards.
Today, St Patrick's is Ireland's leading not-for-profit mental health treatment centre.
It was the first psychiatric hospital to be opened in Ireland, and even one of the first in the world.
St Patrick's now houses a museum and archive. Information regarding the collection can be accessed here.
