Grangegorman Histories is hosting a lecture about the recent history of the campus, followed by participatory workshops where it is hoped people will share their memories, associations and any memorabilia.
The lecture will take place on Tuesday 27th May at 7-9pm in the Lower House, Grangegorman, and will be given by Mr Colm Murray covering an overview of the hospital buildings over the sixty years from 1955 to 2015. Colm will outline a history of the built environment, inviting attendees to contribute their recollections of the way the buildings were used, the memory-associations, even the changing names given to the different units in this extensive campus.
Following the lecture, participants are invited to share their memories of the site at further interactive story-sharing workshops on Saturday 31st May 2-4pm and/or Saturday 7th June 2-4pm in the Lower House, Grangegorman. The knowledge generated from this workshop will support Colm’s doctoral research on the architectural history of St. Brendan’s Hospital. In particular, we're keen to hear about the memories of the surviving and demolished buildings and the institutions which commissioned them, to understand the relationship of building design to society, through the lenses of meaning, comfort, urban impact, the difficulty in treating mental illness with architecture, and the day-to-day spatial experience of the institution.
Grangegorman Histories is a public history programme of research and shared discovery. The lived experience of those who have resided behind the walls of the institution is imperative to the project. These communities are part of the past and future of Grangegorman are their voices are central to the current research of Grangegorman Histories.
Colm Murray(opens in a new tab) is an architect, carrying out doctoral research with TU Dublin on Grangegorman. He is currently carrying out research, funded by Grangegorman Histories, entitled Grangegorman Histories, Site and Society, 1770 – 2012. He is researching the social life of the buildings, their importance for staff and patients, and for the local community through this period when the role of the hospital changed so completely.
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