To my dear friend Rose from Kerala, India, and the UK, who died too young. She allocated a bequest to leprosy afflicted people. Imagine the name Leopardstown and be fascinated by this piece by Buchanan on X

BUCHANAN: Dublin Time Machine

@RobLooseCannon

With Leopardstown racing cancelled, guess where the place got its curious name, in a country without leopards? As Gaeilge Leopardstown translates to Baile na Lobhar, meaning the ‘town of the lepers’. The sleepy suburb in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains is now famous for its racecourse, but for centuries, it was a Leper colony. The disease known as Leprosy, often referred to in the bible, is actually a tropical infection called “Hansen’s disease.” Although highly treatable, now the misunderstood and cruely stereotyped condition plagued humans for centuries, causing agonising debilitation and deformity. Leprosy carried a huge stigma, mainly due to ignorance about how it was transmitted, causing victims to be shunned by their families and communities. Sometimes forced to identify themselves by ringing a bell or holding up a sign in public, the luckier ones were ostracised to “Leper Colonies”. Sufferers were often called “lazares” in reference to “the rich man and Lazarus” from the gospel of Luke. Lazaretto`s were quarantine stations mainly catering to sailors or migrant ships. Medieval Dublin was one such place where citizens were blighted not only with this misunderstood disease but also the social exclusion resulting from the terror of catching it. Due to the biblical connotations of leprosy, it did attract the attention and assistance of the Catholic Church. For example, St Stephens Leper Hospital was built near the eponymous green in the 14th century. However, as the city grew, fears of an epidemic of the horrific affliction caused the hospital to move to the relatively more rural and isolated base of the Dublin Mountains. Hence, the Hansens disease hospital and its environs became known as Baile na Lobhar, anglicised as ‘Ballinlore’, “town of the lepers.” Eventually, this evolved to ‘Leopardstown’.

About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.

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