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Offaly County Library Records of Offaly Board of Health and Public Assistance
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Records of Offaly Board of Health and Public Assistance

  • IE OCL OBHPA
  • Fondo
  • (1912-21); 1924-42; (1943-65)

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.

Offaly County Council

Minutes of the Tuberculosis Committee (1921-1935)

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).

Minute Book (1922)

Contains reports outlining the transition of Tullamore Workhouse into a county home. Also contains reports from sub-committees representing the other poor law unions (Edenderry and Birr) concerning the winding up of operations in those workhouses and the transfer of functions to Tullamore.

Significant redeployment of personnel is recorded such as hospital staff from the newly closed County Infirmary, and compensation claims from employees whose posts were defunct such as Clerk of the Union were also dealt with by the committee. Records decisions in relation to medical personnel based at various dispensaries throughout the county, and proposals relating to the treatment of TB patients. Also contains reports of new tenders granted for the supply of goods to the county home and some letters of protest about contracts being awarded to new suppliers in ' a ringing of the changes in certain interests.' (see p55, letter to the committee re Contract for the Supply of Bread, 28 October 1921.'

Includes regular matron's reports from the county home and hospital with medical details of patients. Also includes a report by the Visiting Committee (James O'Connor, Teresa Wyer and Mary K. Dunne) on the state of the county home following Amalgamation (p16, 23 July 1922).

Contains details of 'boarded-out' children such as their names and ages, and the names and addresses of their foster parents.

Minute Books (1924-42)

Series of minutes books created on the enactment of the Local Government Temporary Provisions Act, 1923, recording executive decisions on a range of issues by Offaly Board of Health and Public Assistance. These minutes follow directly from the Hospital and Homes Committee Minutes (Series 2).

Contains reports such as the Superintendent's Report from the general and fever hospitals; the Superintendent's Report from the County Home; Inspector's reports for boarded-out children; and reports from the district hospitals of Edenderry and Birr. Also includes 'Letters and Sanctions' from the Department of Local Government.

General matters arising include the appointment and remuneration of medical and clerical staff; financial issues relating to the sending of patients to extern hospitals; tenders for the supply of provisions to the hospitals; and orders relating to the dispensary districts throughout the county.

Decisions relating to the boarding-out of children are recorded intermittently in each minute book. Minutes also contain reports on conditions in the county home and in foster homes, on the health and welfare of boarded-out children, and on admissions of unmarried mothers to the county home and/or transfers to mother and baby homes in neighbouring counties. Contains sporadic lists (names and addresses) of boarded out-children, unmarried mothers, and foster parents.

Minute Book (1927)

Includes:
acknowledgments of periodic donations by Dr Moorhead of garden bench, tea, sugar, cakes and tobacco for 'inmates'of the county home; and improvements to the county hospital submitted by J Bruntz, engineer. (p104)

Minute Book (1932)

Includes:
Proposals by J. Dooley to have the County Home transferred from Tullamore to Birr Union Buildings and statements by William C Graham, John Condron, and Patrick Boland stating their opposition to the move. Also copy correspondence with Department of Local Government concerning the site of the proposed new hospital in Tullamore.

Minute Book (1936-37)

Includes:
Report by Surgeon Meaghar on the condition of the maternity wards: 'The attention of the Board has been so often called to the maternity department that it seems hopeless to complain further. These maternity patients are being subjected to conditions that are beastly and barbarous and incredible, and their continuance after public attention has been drawn to them so often and so forcibly leaves no excuse in the mouth of any man responsible.'

Minute Book (1937-38)

Much crossover with Minute Book 18.

Includes:
Resolution of thanks to the students of St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg and Clara Dramatic Class for providing entertainments to residents of the County Home. (Jan 1938)

In relation to the proposed sale of the County Infirmary, it was resolved that it could be converted so as to supply offices, boardroom and store-room for the Board of Health and Public Assistance, a poor law dispensary, and the Home Assistance Officers' Depot. Also resolved that Michael Scott, architect of the county hospital, be requested to draw up plans for same. (Feb 1938)

Observations on the proposed site of the ew fever hospital on land opposite the new county hospital on the Arden Road.

Resolution to disallow request from Superioress of Sean Ross Abbey to send to five year old boys to an industrial school and to endeavour to find suitable foster homes instead. (Feb 1938)

Observations by Home Assistance Officers in respect of three Edenderry roadworkers who, following a recent strike, refused to resume work alongside their colleagues and were thus debarred from unemployment assistance leaving their wives and children without subsistence.

Minute Book (1938-39)

Includes:
Observations by Michael Scott, architect, regarding the future development of Arden Road and the responsibility of Offaly County Council to tightly control building development around the new hospital. (April 1938)

In relation to the burial ground at Arden, Rev J. Flynn reported that he and the Bishop have concluded that the existing cemetery at Clonminch could not provide for extra burials from the county home if Arden Burial ground was closed and alternatively suggests that a plot of land adjacent Clonminch burial ground be purchased for these interments. (April 1938)

Resolution to accept Lord Nuffield's offer to supply the hospital with an 'Iron Lung' (Jan 1939).

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