In the latest extract from his excellent biography on the life and times of the late great Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan, award-winning sports presenter Weeshie Fogarty reflects on how the esteemed man of medicine devised novel ways to care for the 1,000-plus patients in St Finan’s Hospital, Killarney and the novel ways he raised money to help fund developments
FOLLOWING the War of Independence and the Civil War, the new Free State continued to be plagued by political turmoil and issues such as neutrality and the usage of Irish ports by Great Britain resulted in Britain placing an embargo on the export of our farm produce. The result of this was that the country was plunged into a depression known as the economic war.
The Irish health service was funded from local rates with the business and farm sectors the major contributors. The reality was that, with farming in a general state of stagnation, the farms of Kerry simply did not have the resources to fund the health services, including the local mental hospital.
Undaunted by all of this, Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan still saw fit to present a report to the St Finan’s Hospital committee in 1934 recommending a number of improvements such as a dental and general surgery, a refrigerator plant and a more modern occupational therapy department.
He went further and looked for more patients’ facilities such as a handball court – which still stands today – tennis courts, billiard and snooker tables, a recreation room for staff, more furniture and decorations for various wards. He also sought a house telephone, laundry equipment, swimming baths and extra farm machinery. All this was at an estimated cost of £20,000 which was quite a sizeable sum in the 1930s.
Naturally, the hospital committee envisaged a difficulty in securing this amount from the ratepayers of the county. However, undaunted, Eamonn made an approached to the Irish Hospital Sweepstake, a group that raised funding for the health services similar to today’s National Lottery, and the money was raised through the medium of the sale of Sweepstake tickets with very attractive prizemoney. Eamonn’s request was successful and funding was made available for the provision of the required facilities. Once again Eamonn’s persistence and persuasive powers, together with his cry for help for the mentally ill of the county, triumphed
When Eamonn considered two medical officers completely inadequate to cater for the physical and mental health of a patient population in access of 1,000, he again made a further request to the hospital committee for the appointment of a third medical officer at an added cost to the already overburdened ratepayers of Kerry.
In April 1940 members of the Kerry Farmers’ Association assembled in High Street, Killarney and marched as a body to the mental hospital to protest against such an appointment.
They continued to protest at subsequent committee meetings with members of the gardai being summoned to the hospital on one occasion to restore order. Eventually a motion recommending the appointment of a third doctor was narrowly passed and the appointment was duly made. Eamonn had won the day against huge odds.
With limited resources at their disposal, the medical and nursing staff worked towards making conditions as comfortable as possible for the residents. Weekly dances and film shows were provided and Eamonn had a football pitch laid out in the large “airing” court with many patients becoming interested in football and handball.
Once again Eamonn saw an opportunity to add to the hospital’s occupational therapy outlet. He worked with staff to organise a hospital football team and this was entered, with great success in a specially organised mental hospital league.
It was a regular and uplifting sight to see a bus load of patients setting out to oppose teams from rival hospitals such as Cork, Clonmel or Kilkenny. Eamonn often accompanied the team and offered advice to selectors James O’Donoghue and Paul O’Sullivan.
This sporting initiative, having psychiatric patients playing together as a team and opposing patients from others hospitals was an extraordinary accomplishment. Once again it proves Eamonn’s unique gift of introducing new occupational methods and leading others to follow through with his ideas.
Since the hospital first opened its doors for the treatment of persons suffering from mental illness, the emphasis over the decades was on custodial care and due to the absence of any worthwhile form of treatment, the patient population at St Finans continued to increase and in the early 1950s the figure was in excess of 1,100. However the winds of change were beginning to blow through the vast complex that was then known as the Killarney Mental Hospital. And Dr Eamonn was to the forefront of these historic changes.
Treatments such as insulin therapy, ECT and paraldehyde were gradually being replaced by more modern treatments such as drug therapy, csychotherapy and Counselling. Patients, thankfully, responded to such treatments and, for the first time in decades, were gradually being discharged to their homes.
Under the ever guiding hand of Dr Eamonn, outpatient clinics were established in all the major towns in Kerry. This enabled referrals from local general practitioners to avail of the improved treatments and discharged patients were monitored through the outgoing treatment programme.
Eamonn continued to adapt to the changing times in the area of psychiatry and as in the area of sport, took much pride in what was being achieved. The changing scene also called for better training for nursing staff and, in 1961, he invited the establishment of a training school under a trained nurse tutor.
Eamonn greatly encouraged the establishment of a very successful hospital rowing club which won many honors at local regattas for both women and men. This was followed by the establishment of a hospital football team which won the hospital All-Ireland Connolly Cup on several occasions. The first great success in 1959 occurred in Croke Park and Dr Eamonn himself was the victorious trainer of the side. Later a basketball club, which also won many honors at local and national level, was founded.
On his retirement in July 1962 the clubs made presentations to him in recognition of his great contribution to them. His untimely death, in 1966, was deeply regretted by all staff members and there is no doubt that he laid the foundations for modern day development in the complicated area of psychiatry.
Dr Eamonn O’Sullivan’s vast contribution to Kerry, St Finan’s Hospital and psychiatry in general has been immense and until now unrecognised. He was certainly a giant of his time.
