Stigma, Famine & Emigration: A History of Mental Health in Ireland

Irish History Podcast

Fin Dwyer

Ireland, Irish History, Norman Invasion, Great Hunger, Vikings, Interviews, History, War Of Independence, Great Famine

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2024

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

By the late 1950s, over 20,000 individuals in the Republic of Ireland were confined in asylums—a staggering figure equivalent to 1 in every 133 Irish people at the time. This episode delves into how such a situation arose. Were Irish people inherently more susceptible to mental health issues, or was there something else at play?

Centered around a single incident—a murder in Kilkenny in 1890—this episode uncovers how the Great Famine, emigration, and Victorian attitudes toward mental health created a society where anyone deemed to be suffering from mental ill-health was institutionalized.

Originally released as Chapter 8 of my Irish Times bestseller, "A Lethal Legacy: A History of Ireland in 18 Murders," this episode marks the release of the book's paperback edition. I'm thrilled to share the audio of one of my favorite chapters with you. While it focuses on a murder, it offers profound insights into past and present attitudes toward mental health in Ireland.

If you enjoy this episode, you can get your copy of "A Lethal Legacy" at linktr.ee/alethallegacy.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	She got away with murder. Everyone knows that Lucy killed her best friend's
0:03.5	savvy five years ago. It's just that no one can prove it. I mean, how else did she end up
0:08.4	covered in her blood and innocent people don't just develop amnesia and skip town?
0:13.0	Besides, if she didn't do it, then who did?
0:17.0	Listen for the lie.
0:19.0	Out now.
0:20.0	I am Hypocantum.
0:22.0	Recycle your electacles.
0:25.0	Recycle your electacles. Don't being your electacles. Recycle your
0:29.0	electricals. Anything with a plug battery or cable can be recycled into life-saving equipment or tiny kitten cycles
0:37.2	cables kettles phones for boats toasters,
0:39.4	toast consoles headphones shaver speakers batteries cameras tablets laptop slamps and chargers stores headphones,
0:43.0	shaver, speakers, speakers, cameras, laptops, lamps, and charges.
0:45.0	Bag them up and search, recycle your electricals to find your local drop-off points.
0:49.0	meow. In the mid 20th century, Ireland had an extraordinary number of people in mental health hospitals. It ranked amongst the highest number in the world.
1:06.3	The statistics behind this claim are truly astonishing. By the late 1950s, over 20,000 individuals, that's roughly one in every 133 people living in the Republic of Ireland, were confined in mental asylums.
1:21.0	This episode explores how this came to pass by following the story of one man who spent much of his life in an asylum.
1:29.0	It was originally released as a chapter in my 2023 book, A Lethal Legacy, and it explores whether Irish people suffered
1:35.8	from poor mental health in larger numbers than other countries, or was there something
1:40.4	else at play?
1:41.4	It's a story that takes us all the way back to the impact of the great
1:44.8	hunger and how it not only created a mental health crisis, but also stripped away the community
	...

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