Emma Duignan

Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital

A dedicated center of excellence for Opthalmology and ENT care, set in the heart of Dublin city. History. The hospital was established by amalgamating the National Eye Hospital (founded in 1814 by Isaac Ryall) and St. Mark's Ophthalmic Hospital for Diseases of the Eye and Ear (founded by Sir William Wilde in 1844) in 1895. The campaign to do this was spearheaded by ophthalmologist Sir Henry Rosborough Swanzy. Along with the authorisation to merge the hospitals, the Dublin Eye and Ear Hospital Act 1895 provided for expansion of the facilities. A site was purchased on Adelaide Road in 1899 and, once new facilities had been constructed, all patients were transferred from the National Eye Hospital and St. Mark's Hospital on 18 February 1904. Dr. Kathleen Lynn was the first female doctor to work at the hospital when she was appointed in 1910. Lynn went on to establish Saint Ultan's Children's Hospital and became an activist and politician noted for her involvement in the 1916 Easter Rising.