A new book on the Diaries of Kathleen Lynn launched at No. 6 Kildare Street
A new book, launched at No. 6 Kildare Street on Tuesday 5 December, provides close insight into the life of Irish politician, activist, revolutionary, social campaigner, and medical doctor, Dr Kathleen Lynn (1874-1955).
Edited by Dr Mary McAuliffe, and Harriet Wheelock, The Diaries of Kathleen Lynn: A Life Revealed through Personal Writing provides an extraordinarily close insight into Lynn’s social, private, and political life, and her relationship with many of the key political figures of Ireland in the first half of the 20th century.
A committed revolutionary, Lynn meticulously recorded her involvement in the Easter Rising, the War of Independence, and the Civil War. Lynn fought with the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) in 1916, as its chief medical officer and was one of the few women officers in the ICA. Having been elected vice president of Sinn Féin in 1917, Lynn also played a prominent role in the War of Independence and the Civil War, and she became one of the anti-treaty women elected to the Dáil in 1923. The diaries also document her work as a medical doctor.
Professor Mary Horgan, immediate past president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland officially launched the book at No. 6.
“Dr Kathleen Lynn was a patriot and champion of children’s healthcare, she was an advocate for the voiceless, who refused to compromise on her ideals. She was a doctor who, against political pressure, led a revolution in paediatric care and fought for modern and inclusive healthcare. Her life, as recorded in her diaries, remains an inspiration to the profession,” Professor Horgan said.
Professor Brendan Kelly, Dun’s Librarian, RCPI, and Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin also paid tribute to Lynn’s immense contribution to medical and political life in Ireland.
“Kathleen Lynn's diary provides invaluable perspectives on an extraordinary doctor, original thinker, and dedicated politician whose impact on Ireland was substantial and sustained. Lynn lived by her principles, and her diary shows the unshakable strength of those beliefs and the depth of her passion. Lynn was a visionary medic, a revolutionary activist, and a steely strategist whose skills and persistence shaped the Ireland we know today,” Professor Kelly said.
Published by UCD Press, The Diaries of Kathleen Lynn: A Life Revealed through Personal Writing is available from the RCPI store.
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