Michael and Theresa O’ Sullivan
Public health; Tuberculosis (disease);
Michael and Theresa are husband and wife and live on Fairhill on the north side of Cork city. Michael is 87 years old and Theresa is 85 years old. In this interview they both talk about their experiences of TB in Cork during the 1940s and the 1950s. In particular Michael talks about 3 siblings that contracted TB and spent time in sanatoriums. His brother spent 4 years at Heatherside Sanatorium in north Cork before being transferred to St. Finbarr’s hospital for a further 3 years. Two of Michael’s sisters spent between 2-4 years at Sarsfield Court sanatorium. Michael talks about visiting his sisters but not his brother because of distance and lack of transport.
To this end he did not see his brother for 7 years. Michael talks about the emotions experienced when his brother came home. Michael talks about visiting his sister at Sarsfield sanatorium on his wedding day with his wife and talks about the car breaking down en route. Michael also talks about learning that he had TB when a chest x-ray in circa 2018 revealed scarring on his lungs reminiscent of TB.
Theresa talks about her cousin Elsie who spent time in Mount Desert Sanatorium. Theresa talks about how Elsie would help to lay out the dead in the mortuary. Theresa also talks about the many young girls that died of TB at the sanatorium.
During the interview the girls are referred to as country girls which Theresa explains was a term used to describe the daughters of farmers. Theresa talks about the girls catching TB from cattle on the farm. Theresa also talks about a friend called John who spent time at Sarsfields Court sanatorium with TB. When John was released home he was never able to work again due to a weak chest as a result of recurring chest infections.
Michael and Theresa discuss family, community and societal attitudes towards TB. They talk about what people were told about TB and how they believed TB was transmitted. They talk about visiting the sanatoriums and the lack of social restrictions that they observed there. They talk about how fresh air was considered a treatment for TB and how the patients spent a lot of time outdoors. Michael and Theresa talk about the popularity of smoking and describe how some would find relief from breathing difficulties through smoking. Michael and Theresa conclude their interview with a discussion on the current Covid 19 pandemic and discuss the differences and similarities with the TB pandemic of the 1940s and the 1950s.
Image 1: Interviewee Michael visiting his sister Irene at Sarsfield Court Sanatorium.
Image 2: Interviewees brother William in the foreground of picture playing pitch and put at Heatherside Sanatorium.
Audio Excerpt: 23:10 to 31:50 of interview.
Interview Log at bottom of page.
Susan O'Sullivan
Cork Folklore Project
Cork Folklore Project
22 March 2021
Interviewees: Michael and Theresa O'Sullivan
Interviewer: Susan O'Sullivan
Cork Folklore Project
.wav
English
Oral History
Ireland; Cork; 1940s; 1950s
'The Branding Iron': Joe Scanlon remembers receiving the Tuberculosis vaccination at the age of eight in the early 1960s in the Grattan Street Medical Centre, Cork.
Joe Scanlon, who grew up near the Grattan Street Medical Centre in Cork City, remembers the centre, and describes receiving the Tuberculosis vaccination at the age of eight. It was nicknamed ‘The Branding Iron’ among the children, and Joe gives a vivid description of his experience that day.
Excerpt length: 2 minutes 22 seconds
Cork Folklore Project
CFP00728
Cork Folklore Project
25 July 2019
Interviewee: Joe Scanlon
Interviewer: Kieran Murphy
Cork Folklore Project
.MP3 audio file, 2 minutes 22 seconds
SP0003_CFP00728_Scanlon