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HISTORY
The year 1956 was a turning point in the history of paediatric care in Ireland. Through the vision and dedication of a small group of concerned people, something happened that was to change the face of Irish paediatrics forever. Our Lady’s Children's Hospital was established in Crumlin, Dublin and is today one of the largest and most renowned paediatric hospitals in Europe.
Back then, Our Lady's Hospital's initial remit was to care for the large number of children in Dublin and elsewhere in Ireland who were suffering from serious and, at that time, often-incurable conditions. Very soon, however, hospital staff recognised that these paediatric conditions could only be alleviated, cured and perhaps prevented with the aid of medical research.
So in 1965, the hospital board founded the Children’s Research Centre (known then as the Society for the Promotion of Research). The organisation began as a small and mainly voluntary operation, with the specific task of raising funds for medical research in Our Lady's. The work grew, and with it the need for a more professional approach to both research and its funding. Now forty years later this outstanding facility has become a true centre of excellence – contributing significantly to the pool of knowledge which is fighting to overcome many threats to the lives of children not only in Ireland but worldwide.
By 1976 the success of the Children's Research Centre meant it had outgrown its lab space in prefabricated buildings behind the hospital. A specially designed building was constructed to house the research effort: The hospital's medical library, University College Dublin's Department of Paediatrics, and fund-raising activities were also centred in the new building.
By the late 1980s, Ireland's economic difficulties were also causing financial problems for Our Lady's. The hospital board asked the Foundation to take on an additional task: capital and equipment fund-raising.
The Foundation is proud of its long history of improving medical research and medical care for children in Ireland through Our Lady’s Hospital and the Children’s Research Centre. The intimate relationship of care for sick children and research into the causes of illness is the reason for our work
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