Remembering Dr Noël Browne – the minister who battled TB
A COMMEMORATIVE stone in recognition of former health minister Dr Noël Browne’s role in eradicating tuberculosis in Ireland was unveiled in the grounds of Peamount Hospital last week.
The permanent tribute to Dr Browne has been three years in the making, as it was first proposed by Tallaght resident James Dunne back in 2019.
Mr Dunne, who described Dr Browne as “a man who had a modern brain 50 years ago”, said he felt it was important that the former health minister’s work was memorialised.
Dr Browne grew up in the 1910s in a family that was ravaged by tuberculosis (TB), with the disease claiming the lives of his parents and four of his siblings.
While Dr Browne didn’t manage to evade the disease, having contracted it twice during his lifetime, he recovered in both instances and went on to train as a doctor.
He went on to be elected to the Dáil in 1948 and was appointed the Minister for Health, where he brought in several reforms including a vaccination programme, mass free screening for TB sufferers, and the development of new hospitals and sanatoria.
He is credited with helping to eradicate TB in Ireland, and he was seen as a particularly liberal politician during his career.
Dr Browne opposed Church influence in the Irish healthcare system and, in the 1970s, called for reforms in regard to homosexuality, which was illegal at the time.
Commenting on why he found Dr Browne such an inspirational figure, Mr Dunne told The Echo: “He had a modern brain 50 years ago.
Mayor Peter Kavanagh and Cllr Kieran Mahon with James Dunne, Dr Browne’s daughter Ruth Browne and his granddaughter Nena Browne at the unveiling of the plaque in memory of Dr Noël Browne
“I was born in 1945, so I was a child when Dr Browne was in Government. I remember when they got rid of him [after he lost his seat in a General Election].
“I remember the exact words my dad said, ‘The dirty b*****ds got rid of a great man’. That was the feeling a lot of people had at the time.
“He was a sincere and honest politician who wanted things to change, but people weren’t ready to change.”
Mr Dunne contacted Solidarity councillor Kieran Mahon to propose a monument in Dr Browne’s honour, which Cllr Mahon then raised with South Dublin County Council and received support from other South Dublin County councillors.
Three years on from the initial proposal, the monument was fittingly unveiled in the grounds of Peamount Hospital last week, which formerly served as a TB sanatorium.
Speaking at the unveiling of the commemorative stone, Cllr Mahon said: “It’s almost three years since we began our little project to have Dr Browne recognised here.
“It’s been amazing to talk and listen to people from across our class talk of their memories, first-hand and handed down, of Dr Browne.
“The esteem, respect and seriousness in which ordinary people hold Noël Browne is quite remarkable.
“It’s a very, very short list of politicians that penetrate the public consciousness and are given such honour. And rightly so.”
Also in attendance on the day were Dr Browne’s daughter, Ruth Browne and granddaughter Nena Browne, and Mayor of South Dublin County, Cllr Peter Kavanagh.
For Mr Dunne, the stone serves as a mark of respect and recognition for the work of Dr Browne, who passed away in 1997.
“I felt good when I saw the commemorative stone, and I felt it was only right that something was done for him,” explained Mr Dunne.
“I was very happy. I think it should’ve been put up a long time ago, but now it’s there, it’s great to see.
“Now I’m going to work to get a statue built somewhere in the city centre in honour of Dr Browne.”
Cllr Mahon confirmed to The Echo that there are plans for Dublin City Council and councillors to be formally contacted to see if Mr Dunne’s proposal for a commemoration to Dr Browne in the city centre can be progressed.
