Adair is believed to have been a native of Ballymena, Co. Antrim, and was studying medicine in Dublin in the late 1700s. While studying he got into some sort of a scrape. But with very little money and few friends Adair decided that his only option was to flee Dublin and head towards London. Adair arrived in Holyhead with no money to pay for passage to London so he began to walk.
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| Robert (Robin) Adair |
He had not walked far when he came across a carriage that had been overturned on the bad road. The owner and occupier of the carriage was a well known society lady who had been slightly injured in the accident. Adair offered to help the lady and soon had the carriage righted and road-worthy again. Adair explained that he was a surgeon and offered to inspect the lady's injuries which were very minor indeed. The lady still shook from the accident and impressed by the Irishman's character offered to take Adair to London. Once they reached London the lady gave Adair 100 guineas and invited him to her house whenever he pleased. It was through this lady that Adair gained entrance to the fashionable circles of London. It was amongst these circles that he met and fell in love with Lady Caroline Keppel, second daughter of Earl of Albemarle. Lady Caroline's family disapproved of their daughter falling for this young Irish surgeon so they sent her to Bath. It was there that Lady Caroline wrote a lament for her true love
What's this dull town to me? Robin's not near,
He whom I wished to see, wished for to hear,
Where's all the joy and mirth, made life a heaven on earth
O they're all fled with thee, Robin Adair!
When Lady Caroline fell ill her family feared the worst. Her doctors believed it to be more a matter of the heart and mind than flesh. Finally her relatives repented and the young couple were married on 22 February 1758.
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| RCSI processional air pg. 2 |
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| RCSI processional air pg. 1 |
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| RCSI processional air pg. 3 |
Adair became a well respected surgeon holding the positions of Inspector General of Military Hospitals, Surgeon General, Sergeant Surgeon to the King and Surgeon to the Chelsea Hospital. Adair and Lady Caroline had three children but just after giving birth to the third, Lady Caroline died. Adair was heartbroken. He never remarried and wore mourning clothes in remembrance of his loving wife until his death in 1790.
- Researched and written by Meadhbh Murphy