Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article,
Cork Independent, 5 June 2025
Making an Irish Free State City – Stories from the early St Luke’s Home
An institution, which pops up regularly in the Cork press through its published AGM reports across the early Irish Free State years, is the Protestant Home for Incurables or what became known in time as St Luke’s Home on Military Road. The AGM reports give insights into the story of the Home and the hard working volunteers and staff.
The original Home for cancer patients of the Protestant religion, established in October 1872 by Miss Frances Fitzgerald Gregg (daughter of Protestant Bishop John Gregg), was located in Albert House on Victoria Road. It had the name The Home for Protestant Incurables. The premises only accommodated 19 residents and quickly proved too small.
An article in the Cork Examiner on 23 April 1877 describes the growth of the Home as “steadily in usefulness and in public esteem”. However, the limited accommodation of the home/ hospital which was originally a dwelling-house, was increasingly felt, especially when the breaking point arrived when men with cancer were excluded from the care of the Home.
The Home’s committee investigated the enlargement of the Victoria Road premises, but their findings came back impracticable and inadvisable. A new home/ hospital had become anecessity. The committee found a new site. They took a lease from Joseph Lindsay for 500 years, at £48 per annum of a plot of ground at St Luke’s, between Alexandra Road and the Military Road, with a frontage to each. They commissioned William H Hill to prepare plans. The Cork Examiner noted of the plans: “The new Hospital will have wards for males and females, apartments for the Sisters, and all the improvements that ripened experience has suggested. The grounds will be tastefully laid out and planted”. A building fund for the new hospital was proposed. In 1879 the major move was made to Military Road.
Fast forward fifty years to the Home’s 50th anniversary jubilee year across 1922. The annual report as published on 31 December 1922 reveals that the year 1922 made celebrations and fundraising difficult due to the Irish Civil War. A greater effort was made to commemorate the jubilee year by raising a sufficient sum of money to clear off a debt of about £2000 on the working revenue account, equip and endow an additional male cancer ward, and to carry out some long deferred improvements and repairs.
The whole sum realised by the jubilee fund raising effort amounted to an impressive sum of £5,000, which was harnessed to carry out works and repairs. Arrangements were made with the valuable assistance of architect Mr William H Hill where the additional male cancer ward was provided for. William also accepted a contract for the central heating of the entire buildings.
The following year’s report for 1924 noted that the wards, sitting rooms and corridors were “uniformly and continuously heated, much to the comfort of all concerned”. There were now special wards for female and male cancer patients. The accommodation for the nurses had been improved and “their comfort greatly added to”. New linoleum had been laid on the corridors, dining and sitting rooms had been provided for the patients and the whole house was painted throughout.
During 1923, a total of 71 patients were treated whilst in 1924 there were 60. The funds raised from the locally named Dorcas Guild provided all the linen, blankets and other domestic requirements. Such work relieved the general account of a heavy annual charge. Every year coincided with the Guild increasing its efforts and its results. The Christmas sale was noted as getting better and better, running into three figures or over £200. Special thanks were due to Mrs A Beale and to those members of the Guild who made it and the annual sale of work such a success.
Annual reports also lament the passing of advocates of the Home. The 1924 report noted that Mr George Muirhead passed away who was a long serving honorary secretary of the home. A Mrs Lunham had also died, who was for many years was one of the most generous financial supporters of the Home.
In the December 1927 report, the committee overseeing the Home reminded the public that in the Home there were 33 funded beds. However, they appealed once more for not only continued, but increased help to enable such beds to be maintained and to expand the numbers of funded beds. The report noted that during the previous years the Home’s committee adopted the policy of admitting to the Home every suitable applicant provided there was a vacant bed no matter whether he or she had the means to pay. Refusal of admission in several cases was due not to the lack of means on the part of the applicants, but due to the lack of accommodation in the home.
During 1927 there were 79 patients in the home. The report noted of the increased numbers seeking beds; “The home after 56 years has justified its existence is shown by the increased numbers of those who are seeking its shelter about the firmer hold it is having as year succeeds to year upon the affections and generosity of the Christian public. As is evidence for the money letters received from time to time, the work of Dr Lucy Smyth, the matron, and are able stuff continue to give the greatest satisfaction not only to the council but to the friends of home”.
In 1966 the Home was renamed as St Luke’s Home. Fast forward again to 1994 and residents and staff were transferred from Military Hill to Mahon in 1994. Facilities to meet modern needs continue to be added, with the support and now financial backing of the Health Services Executive, South. In 1997, the former Home on Military Road became the Ambassador Hotel under the work of the Savage family. In recent years the hotel has been renamed The Address.
June 2025 Historical Walking Tours with Kieran (All free, two hours, no booking required).
Thursday evening, 5 June, Douglas and its History, meet in the carpark of Douglas Community Centre, no parking in the centre, 6.30pm.
Saturday afternoon, 21 June, Ballinlough – Antiquities, Knights, Quarries and Suburban Growth; meet inside Ballintemple Graveyard, Temple Hill, opp O’Connor’s Funeral Home, 1pm.
Sunday afternoon, 22 June, Blackpool: Its History and Heritage; meet at the square on St Mary’s Road, opp North Cathedral, 1pm.
Caption:
1307a. Former St Luke’s Home, Military Road now The Address Hotel (picture: Kieran McCarthy).