Originally opened in 1833 as Connaght District Lunatic Asylum, later changing its name. I found a very interesting write up on the below link, which is where I copied this -
https://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/tales-from-the-big-house-the-connacht-district-lunatic-asylum-in-the-late-nineteenth-century/
Exactly a year ago I went over to Ireland with pretty much just 2 locations I was desperately keen to visit. After failing to find any access at the first (another asylum) I drove west. It was a lovely bright, autumnal day and eventually I found myself inside. All was fine for 10-15 minutes until I turned round to find myself face-to-face with a gentleman who I guess was a caretaker of sorts. I hadn't heard him make any noise to alert me he was there and so I was in a mild state of shock! He told me that there had been some recent vandalism but after a few minutes of chatting I managed to persuade him not to evict me or alert the authorities. For that I was incredibly grateful.
Here is my collection (a bit corridor-heavy)
- It was intended for the care of ‘curable lunatics’ and opened in a spirit of optimism with regard to its progressive role in public health. Its history, however, is one of continual struggle: to prevent the admission of unsuitable cases, to secure additional funding and to offer reasonable standards of care under difficult conditions. In common with the majority of other District Asylums, the CDLA was continually overcrowded, housing in November 1900, for example, 1,165 patients in accommodation designed to hold 840.
https://www.historyireland.com/18th-19th-century-history/tales-from-the-big-house-the-connacht-district-lunatic-asylum-in-the-late-nineteenth-century/
Exactly a year ago I went over to Ireland with pretty much just 2 locations I was desperately keen to visit. After failing to find any access at the first (another asylum) I drove west. It was a lovely bright, autumnal day and eventually I found myself inside. All was fine for 10-15 minutes until I turned round to find myself face-to-face with a gentleman who I guess was a caretaker of sorts. I hadn't heard him make any noise to alert me he was there and so I was in a mild state of shock! He told me that there had been some recent vandalism but after a few minutes of chatting I managed to persuade him not to evict me or alert the authorities. For that I was incredibly grateful.
Here is my collection (a bit corridor-heavy)
Should really make the effort sometime to see some of these Irish ones.
