St Brigid's Hospital Ballinasloe

In this episode of ' Forgotten Ireland' Brian Nolan tells the story of St. Brigid's mental asylum. The hospital opened as the Connacht Asylum in 1833. As the hospital expanded, it became very overcrowded with 1,200 patients by the beginning of the 1900s and over 2000 patients by the 1950's. The hospital closed its doors in 2013.

[@anthonykelly4225]

Had to walk through the hospital many times for work back when only the front reception area was used as a office.( Circa 2007) The inside has deteriorated a lot since then. I remember feeling very uneasy walking through the different areas of the building. Couldn't imagine how a sane person who was committed there must have felt.

[@MuckSpreader99]

As far as records and family knowledge know, my Grandmother died there in 1931, certified as epilepsy and having it for years. I believe she may have been admitted more than once, but I can't be sure. It would help if I had access to the admissions and treatment registers, hopefully archived for availability.

[@NovaProductionsIreland]

Thanks for your comment and sorry about the late reply, it would be interesting to see. Thanks

[@bbrabow1gmail]

This breaks my heart because I had an uncle who the family members had locked up so they could get of hold his land. He died in there at age 57 God forgive them for what they did to Patrick Page ( Woodford Co. Galway ) they took his life all for dirt!

[@sagegary993]

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[@augustinedraven1329]

@Sage Gary yup, I've been using InstaFlixxer for since december myself =)

[@emmaelwood9939]

Barbara B I am so sorry to hear of that, unfortunately families have hidden agendas which is driven by money and greed, I have heard horror stories of what went on in there, may your uncle rest in peace.

[@franceso5266]

the emigrants had trauma too. trust me. My gt grandparents left after the famine and were relocated to a scottish slum. My parents left scotland to come to australia. The trauma is REAL and need healing

[@gerrystapleton1965]

Absolutely shocking

[@conwaynoel3715]

My late father was a psychiatrist in St Bridgits from 1958 or '59 I'm not sure, but he left in 1964 to take up the RMS position in St Itas Portrane. I started school in Creagh around 1961 or so , the head master there at the time was a kindly man named Mr Campbell. I remember some terrible sights that no child should see , images that have followed me into my late sixties. I hated every minute of my life there as did my younger brother. Things got worse for us when we moved to Dublin, Portrane was a horribly place and despite the best efforts of my father to improve conditions there he was met with a stone wall of resistance, but that's another story . I believe that St Bridgits should be raised to the ground and a memorial park and monument be erected to those poor souls whose lives were destroyed by greedy families , crooked doctors and the colluding Catholic church who got well looked after as a result of this human misery. I hope you rot in hell for your inhumane cruelty.

[@Dellen-Roger]

What do you mean my crooked doctors? What kind of things happened in that hospital? Thank you.

[@conwaynoel3715]

@@Dellen-Roger In the old day's a person could be put in an asylum by simply getting a doctor to sign a letter saying that they were mentally unstable or " simpletons " . This was often done when land was an issue. Family members often got elderly relatives or others who might be described as " eccentric" committed to mental institutions like St Bridgets and St Itas in order to inherit property that was not rightfully theirs. A parish priest was another who could do likewise. The system was rotten to the core

[@Dellen-Roger]

@@conwaynoel3715 Thanks for the response. Someone told me when he was in their that their was gang rapes like two people and that doctors would be looking in the door at the raping and they wouldn't do anything and just walk away. Do you believe this?

[@conwaynoel3715]

@@Dellen-Roger I would indeed believe it Millard. Some of the people who were committed to these institutions should have been sent to jail but the systems in place at the time did not consider or understand the concept of mental disorders. Also people in these places were thought of as " lunatics" and " non citizen's " they had no civil rights nor access to the law or it's protection. When you entered the hospital you were at the mercy of the doctors, their word was the law . Sadly beatings , and other forms of punishment were meeted out to people for even the smallest indiscretion. Alas, many of these poor souls lived horrible lives with little or no interaction with the outside world and died and were buried often in unmarked graves within the grounds of the institution.

[@Dellen-Roger]

@@conwaynoel3715 Yeah it's unreal the cruelty and what went in back then and to young boys in monestrys etc. How come these doctors and priests etc were so cruel? How could they be so cruel?

[@TheLilpixiePrincess]

Can you still gain access inside here??

[@NovaProductionsIreland]

You have to ask for permission you might get lucky

[@Thatoneirishguy421]

@@NovaProductionsIreland who do you need to ask?

[@patriciakavanagh2658]

Where can i contact you.I am doing my Ancestry.

[@NovaProductionsIreland]

[e-mail]

[@applepro20]

Does anyone know why it closed down? The only answer was because of a vote but what was the reason of the voting?

[@spmoran4703]

They could have treated them much better . After all if they had PTDS they could already have suicidal tendencies .