The new exhibition at the Little Museum of Dublin, Born in Dublin, 200 Years of the Coombe, tells the story of the hospital, the mothers, the midwives, the doctors, the babies, and the quiet pioneers who shaped it.

200 years ago, a powerful snow storm gripped the streets of Dublin and alas, two women and their newborn babies died.

The outrage that followed gave birth to one of the city's most enduring institutions: The Coombe Hospital.

To mark the hospital's anniversary, a new exhibition is being held in Dublin's Little Museum, titled Born in Dublin: 200 Years of The Coombe.

Speaking on the exhibition with The Pat Kenny Show was the museum's curator, Daryl Hendley who shared that the original Coombe was thanks to a woman called Margaret Boyle and a group of concerned citizens.

He explained: "A woman called Margaret Boyle was the wife of a wealthy merchant in the area. And in her will, there was an express acknowledgement that her husband wanted a new maternity hospital to be founded.

"Margaret was given the means, £100 to spearhead [the campaign] alongside a group of concerned citizens.

"They acquired a single ward in a school of anatomy and surgery in what was actually the Meath Hospital before then. The Meath left in 1822 and Dr John Kirby founded the School of Anatomy.

"He allowed Margaret Boyle and this group to put in a ward with 15 beds, but predominantly their work was in the community.

"So the doctors, the nurses, midwives would go out into the community. For example, in 1856, you have the Master of the Coombe, John Ringland goes out and he attends the delivery of one of our Nobel Prize winners, George Bernard Shaw."

The Little Museum has recreated the neonatal unit from back in the day and the exhibition also features some educational aspects, including one unusual recipe for an enema.

The exhibition will run until May 2027.

Main image: The Coombe Hospital Pic: Sasko Lazarov/ RollingNews.ie