JONATHAN SWIFT LIVED FOR A WHILE IN TRIM COUNTY MEATH
Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin on 30th November 1667 and was given over to a nurse to be minded in England. He did not meet his mother again until he was 21 years old, this was not unusual in those days.
The cost of his education was funded by his uncle Godwin Swift. He was educated at Kilkenny College and Trinity College, Dublin where he was awarded a B.A. in 1689. He was appointed secretary to Sir William Temple and in 1692 received an M.A. at Hart Hall, Oxford.
In 1694 having taken holy orders, he became Prebend of Kilroot, County Antrim but soon tired of that isolated life and returned to Moor Park, Surrey in 1696.
Between 1696-1699 he wrote many books and like most of his writings they were all published anonymously. Although Swift was not a native of Meath he lived for some years in the Trim area, as Vicar of Laracor, near Trim together with Agher and Rathbeggan.
His best known book popularly called “Gullivers Travels” was published in 1726. He won immense popularity when his “Drapiers Letters” foiled a plan to foist on the Irish a new debased currency “Wood’s Halfpenny” – the patent for which had been obtained by bribery. His Modest Proposal “suggested that the people should be relieved by the sale of their numerous children as food for the rich”.
Swift was one of the most commanding intellects and writers of his day. His prose is unmatched for simple strength and clarity. His satire was savage in its mockery. His letters are among the best in English literature. He died on 19 October 1745 leaving £ 8,000 in his will for a home for the insane and to this end St. Patrick’s Hospital, Dublin was built.
Swift was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
St Patrick’s University Hospital is a teaching hospital at Kilmainham in Dublin. The building, which is bounded by Steeven’s Lane to the east, and Bow Lane West to the south, is managed by St Patrick’s Mental Health Services.
The hospital was founded with money bequeathed by the author Jonathan Swift following his death as “St. Patrick’s Hospital for Imbeciles”.
In March 1747, Dr. Steevens’ Hospital agreed to provide a small amount of land fronting Bow Lane for the purposes of building St. Patrick’s, however it was nearly three years afterwards before construction commenced, as the governors became involved in lengthy discussions over plans and architects. In considering the challenges of building such a hospital, it is important to remember that no such institution for housing lunatics had ever been built in Ireland before, and except for Bedlam in London, there was no comparable building in England either. The first step the governors agreed upon was for a high wall to be built around the site. This was achieved in 1747-8 at a cost of £146.
By 1753, the building (designed by George Semple) was completed, but the governors did not have the money to furnish it, to employ staff, or to maintain charity patients. Thus the building lay empty for another four years. On Monday 26 September 1757, the hospital finally admitted its first patients, consisting of six men and four women, referred to as ‘pauper lunaticks’ in hospital records.
In “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift”, the poet anticipated his own death:
He gave the little Wealth he had,
To build a House for Fools and Mad: And shew’d by one satyric Touch, No Nation wanted it so much: That Kingdom he hath left his Debtor,
I wish it soon may have a Better.
Swift himself was declared of unsound mind by a Commission of Lunacy in 1742. Will Durant said of him: “He went a whole year without uttering a word.”
Richard Leeper, who was appointed Resident Medical Superintendent in 1899, introduced a series of important initiatives including providing work and leisure activities for the patients.[9] Norman Moore, who was appointed Resident Medical Superintendent in 1946, introduced occupational therapy, including crafts and farm work to the patients.
After the introduction of deinstitutionalisation in the late 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline. In 2008 the hospital announced the expansion of its outpatient services to a series of regional centres across Ireland. A mental health facility for teenagers known as the “Willow Grove Adolescent Inpatient Unit” opened at the hospital in October 2010.
LANEWAY CONNECTING MORNINGTON WAY TO PATRICK STREET
I visited St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Trim on the day after Christmas and after leaving the church I noticed that there was a large carpark across the street from the church which gave me an opportunity to photograph the complete building. After taking a few photographs I noticed a laneway which I decided to explore. I walked along the lane until I got to Mornington Way and Mornington Heights Estate which I did not explore in detail because of an intense rain storm which forced me to return home.
In 2009 it was reported in local newspapers that at least thirty seven people had been afflicted with cancer in the Mornington Heights estate in Trim in the past 12 years – and that sixteen of them have died, according to statistics compiled by a group of local residents who are seeking answers to what they say are high rates of the killer disease in their estate. It is interesting to note that Mornington residents had also been campaigning for a mast on the green area in their estate to be removed. They also want the other masts in the locality moved away from residential areas. I tried my best to find any further information relating to this cluster of cancer cases and failed to find any additional information.
Mornington Heights is a residential estate located in Trim, County Meath, Ireland. It is a large estate with a mix of two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes. The estate is situated on a hill overlooking the town of Trim, and it offers stunning views of the surrounding countryside. The estate is well-maintained and has a variety of amenities, including a playground, a park, and a community centre. The average price of a home in Mornington Heights is €252,000. This makes it a relatively affordable option for those looking to buy a home in Trim.
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