Sir William Wilde was an eminent eye and otolaryngology surgeon. He founded, and funded, the first dedicated eye hospital in Ireland, St Mark’s hospital. He was the first surgeon to specialise in otolaryngology in Ireland, and contributed significantly to the establishment of the specialty in Ireland.
Wilde’s mother was Emily Fynn, whose family held a large estate at Ballymagibbon, near Cong, and Sir William built Moytura House, near Cross, overlooking Lough Corrib on this estate, part of which he re-purchased in 1862.
A true Renaissance Man, he was also an antiquarian, folklorist, historian, naturalist and travel writer. Wilde's book, Lough Corrib is probably regarded as the most important book ever written on Lough Corrib and is regularly re-printed to this day. His wife Jane Elgee, known by her pen name Speranza, was a poet and their house, No. 1 Merrion Square, was a renowned society venue of Victorian Dublin. Such was the world in which his son, Oscar, lived his early years.
The Old Tuam Society is delighted to welcome Tuam native Brian Cleary to deliver a lecture entitled ”Doctoring in the Dark: William Wilde and Medicine in the 19th century”, to mark the bicentenary of William Wilde’s birth on the 6th of May 2015. Dr. Cleary is Chief Pharmacist at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin and an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at RCSI.
The lecture takes place at Tuam Library, High St., Thursday, May 21st @ 8 p.m.