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This is a large set of records which broadly reflects the evolution of local authority health and welfare provision in Offaly. It contains minutes of committees established to oversee public health and public assistance, as well as administrative records detailing the admission and discharge of individuals into the County Home or the County Hospital. While the bulk of the records derived from the County Board of Health, there are a few outlying records from 1912-21 relating to transitional periods in the health service, or where registers were taken over from the preceding health system and incorporated into the new Board of Health. Likewise some county home and county hospital administrative records, particularly admission and discharge registers and financial ledgers which were kept by record-creators in an unbroken series, post-date the County Board of Health's executive function which ceased in 1942.

RECORDS RELATING TO MOTHER AND BABY HOMES AND BOARDED-OUT CHILDREN:
The main series of records which record unmarried mothers and/or decisions relating to the boarding-out of children are to be found in the Public Assistance Minute Books (Series 3) and the Admissions and Discharge registers for the County Home (Series 5).

While Offaly did not have a designated ‘Mother and Baby Home,’ the records show that unmarried mothers were regularly admitted to the County Home to give birth until the late 1940s, many staying for a significant period of time in the home with their children. In some instances, both mother and child were transferred from the home after the birth to other institutions such as Sean Ross Abbey, Roscrea, Co Tipperary, or Manor Home, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath.

From the late 1940s, it appears that unmarried mothers were either admitted directly to institutions in other counties (these records are held by other bodies) or transferred from the County Home to mother and baby homes outside Offaly before or after giving birth (these instances, which are infrequent from the late 1940s are recorded in the county home registers in this collection). Children entered in the registers of the county home are recorded as having been born there, or have been transferred into the county home from another institution before being 'placed' or 'boarded-out' in Offaly. It is possible to trace children by surname, noting the limitations of the records in terms of completeness and the date span.

In general terms and from an overview of the records, the incidence of names of unmarried mothers and their children decreases significantly over time. This is most likely due to unmarried mothers from Offaly entering institutions outside the county before the birth of their children. By the 1950s, there are only sporadic instances of births to unmarried mothers and of 'boarded-out' children recorded in the county home registers. This particular record series ends in 1957.

Minutes of the Offaly Board of Health in relation to obligations under the Tuberculosis Acts, initially held under the auspices of the Hospital and Dispensaries Committee from 10 March 1921. From October 1925 to July 1928, Commissioner for Offaly, David O'Keefe, chaired the committee, now known as the Offaly Board of Health Tuberculosis Committee. On the departure of Commissioner O'Keefe, the committee reverted to the chairmanship of members of the county council presiding in rotation.

All meetings from inception in 1921 attended by the Tuberculosis Medical Officer (TMO). Minutes record patients recommended for institutional, sanitorium or dispensary treatment, and contains extensive lists of patients' names, addresses and type of treatment, and what level of financial assistance is required for each patient. Also contains some in-depth reports on individual cases, including patients who refuse sanitorium treatment. Includes statistical reports from the TMO reporting number of cases attending at dispensaries; number of new cases; number of deaths reported; number of patients visited at home by TMO; number of visits by the Birr nurse; the number in Birr T.B. Hospital; the number in County Hospital (Tullamore); and the number of patients in extern hospitals such as Newcastle and Peamount. Includes reports from the hospitals, both in Offaly and extern hospitals such as Peamount, Newcastle, Mercer's, Coole, Royal National Hospital for Consumption, City of Dublin Hospital, and Cappagh Children's Hospital.

Initial years of minutes (1921-1923) reflect the transitional period following 'Amalgamation' when tubercular patients previously resident in the various poor law union workhouses, were now centralised with 'chronic' destitute cases residing in the Tuberculosis Hospital in Birr, at a significant cost to the Tuberculosis Committee. Minutes also contain administrative reports for the hospitals in relation to employment of personnel and maintenance of buildings; claims to British Ministry of Pensions in respect of treatment of ex-British Army service men and their dependents; and decisions in relation to the transfer of the T.B. Hospital from Birr to Roscrea Sanitorium, and the subsequent closure of the T.B. hospital at Birr (1931).

A large and varied series of account books and financial statements, broadly reflecting the financial management of the Board of Health for the period 1922-1965. Includes abstracts of accounts, auditors statements, inventories of stock, travel expenses, and other records of daily cash transactions.

Minutes of the proceedings of the Offaly Board of Health acting as the Sanitary Authority, recording executive decisions on matters of public health such as installation of sewerage schemes; installation of water pumps; condition of housing; registration of dairymen; reports of infectious diseases such as diphtheria, tuberculosis etc; vaccination defaulters; and other matters formerly overseen by rural district councils. Also includes reports from the medical officers of health in each district.

Several subseries of registers recording the admission and discharge of individuals to the county home in the period 1914-1957. The earliest register in this series was opened in 1914, and can also be viewed as the last register for the Tullamore Workhouse, which closed in 1921.

Volumes recording details of residents admitted to the county home, the first of which dating from 1914, predates the establishment of the county home in 1921 and can therefore also be viewed as the last workhouse register for Tullamore Workhouse.

Data collected in this unbroken run of registers (Form 29) varied slightly from volume to volume but generally contained the following:

Admission number (and previous admission number if any)

Date of admission or birth

Name of inmate

Age, Sex

Description (Married, Single, etc.) or 'If adult whether single, married, widow or widower; if child, whether orphan, deserted, illegitimate or legitimate'

Religious denomination

Residence prior to admission

Name and address of nearest relative and description of relationship

Observations on condition of inmates when registered.

Employment or Calling

Number of dependents

Disease or other cause rendering admission necessary

Who gave recommendation for admission

Date of discharge or death

Volumes recording details for 'Form 33', Indoor Assistance Lists. Columns and sub-columns record the following data:

Adults: Married Couples (Males/Females); Other Males, Other Females

Children under 15: Of Parents Being Inmates (Legitimate/Illegitimate); Orphans or other children relieved without their parents

Lunatics, Insane Persons and Idiots: Males, Females, Children under 15

No in register

Name of Inmate

Age

Number of days in house each month (for 6 months)

Total (for half-year)

Volumes recording details for 'Form 32', Indoor Admission and Discharge Lists. Data recorded includes the following:

ADMISSIONS
Date of admission or birth

Name

Register No.

Weak and Infirm (M/F)

Aged and Infirm (M/F)

Children (3-8 years; 2-3 years; 1-2 years; infants under 1 year)

If born in the institution, name of mother

DISCHARGES
Date of discharge or death

Name

Register No.

Weak and Infirm (M/F)

Aged and Infirm (M/F)

Children (3-8 years; 2-3 years; 1-2 years; infants under 1 year)

Insert the word 'DIED' in case of death in Institution

Volumes recording combined data from admissions and discharges to and from the County Home. Details recorded include:

PARTICULARS OF PERSONS IN AND ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL
Register Number (consecutive for year)

Reference register No. of last year

Date when admitted to or born in the Hospital

Name of Person

Residence previous to admission

Age, Sex, Religious Denomination

If adult whether single, married or widow. if child, whether orphan, legitimate or illegitimate

Disease of sickness

General classification: Adults (male/Female), Children under 16

Classification of Cases: Medical, Surgical, Maternity, Mental, Chronic, Infectious, Tuberculosis, Other Persons (only maternity ticked in county home register)

Infectious Disease classification (left blank for county home register)

if born in the hospital, name of mother

Name and address of nearest relative,

Relationship,

Observations

Period in institution: Date of discharge or death, no of days for month, number of days for the year.

PARTICULARS OF PERSONS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL
Date of discharge or death

Register Number name of Persons Discharged

Adults (men/women), Children under 16

Classification of cases: Medical, Surgical, Maternity, Mental, Chronic, Infectious, Tuberculosis, Other Persons (Only maternity ticked)

Infectious disease classification (left blank for county home register)

Insert 'Died' in case of death in hospital (used to record transfer to hospital, death, other institution, boarded out).