RCSI Heritage Collections

Since the  Heritage Council funding  announcement in April,  'Colles at 250' has meant a flurry of activity and events in RCSI.  If you haven't yet heard about 'Colles at 250', enjoy this short video and find out a little more... The Recap... A unique collaboration between RCSI Library and the Men's Shed Association resulted in two beautiful display cases for Heritage Collections pop-up exhibitions, as well as this wonderful short video on the project. Pop-up exhibition on Abraham Colles   Men's Shed team The 'Colles at 250' series of Heritage Week events in August paid tribute to the anatomist and surgeon Abraham Colles, a pivotal figure in the history of  medicine and of RCSI. The series included discussions, tours and innovative online resources remembering a surgeon whose influence on the field of anatomy is still seen worldwide. Free tours as part of the Heritage Week programme To launch the programme and  virtual exhibition , RCSI held a fas...

We were at RCSI Heritage Collections could not let today pass without mentioning Abraham Colles.  Abraham Colles (1773-1843) Today 173 years ago Colles passed away at the age of 70 in his house, 21 St Stephen's Green. Abraham Colles was born in Milmount, Co. Kilkenny on 23 July 1773. Over the next 70 years he would come to dominate the world of surgery both in Ireland and around the world.  Colles entered TCD in September 1790 and received his B.A in April 1795. At the same time he registered in RCSI and was indentured to Philip Woodroffe. Colles received his ‘letters testimonial’ from RCSI in September 1795. That same year he travelled to Edinburgh where he devoted himself to furthering his medical studies. Colles' indenture to Philip Woodroffe, signed by both men  In June 1797 he graduated as Doctor of Medicine in Edinburgh and made his way London to take up his residence. By the winter of 1797, Colles was back in Dublin and had taken up his residence in Ch...

On Friday 29 th November the College was delighted to receive a donation of three Colles portraits (two of Abraham Colles, one of Sophia Colles) from Mr. Michael Brooke and family in Australia. Abraham Colles (1773-1843) Mr. Brooke’s family are descendants of Abraham’s fifth son, Richard. Richard was born in Dublin in 1818 and received his BA from Trinity College Dublin in 1841. After a decade at the English Bar he migrated to Australia taking up residence in Castlemaine, Victoria in 1852. Richard became Sheriff of Castlemaine and held that position for 35 years. He was close friends with the famous Australian explorer Robert Burke O’Hara (1820-1861). On his explorations of the Australian outback O’Hara named a mountain in the north-eastern corner of Queensland ‘Mt. Collis’ after his friend. O’Hara died in the outback near Cooper Creek in South Australia in 1861. Richard laid the foundation stone of the O’Hara memorial in Castlemaine 1862.  Sophia Colles, wife of A...