Trinity researchers shed new light on devastating Spanish Flu pandemic
Posted on: 23 October 2018
The often-forgotten Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history, killing 20,000-40,000 Irish citizens and 50-100 million globally. To mark the centenary of the Great Flu in Ireland, the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin and Glasnevin Trust, have launched an exhibition and conference entitled Pandemic: Ireland and the Great Flu 1918-1919.
The conference explored the pandemic looking at context, impact and legacy of the outbreak from a uniquely Irish perspective. The exhibition, which will be open to the public until April 2019 at Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, tells the story of this significant event and draws on the personal experiences and stories of those buried in Glasnevin who died as a result. The use of documents, photographs, maps and ephemera reflect the true impact and sorrow behind the statistics.
Expert international speakers and researchers gave their opinion and insights into The Great Flu which infected 500 million people globally and killed more people than the First World War happening at the time.
Research presented for the first time by historians from the School of History and Humanities in Trinity and Glasnevin Cemetery, shed light on the flu pandemic in Ireland, with experts outlining the global, national and local impact of the outbreak.
The body of research provides a tragic and very tangible illustration of the local devastation that the pandemic wrought in communities and households across the capital and reveals the connections between the disease and socioecomomic conditions, which is essential knowledge for future pandemic planning.
The team have developed new maps which chart the reach of influenza deaths to a much more precise level of detail than previously available by drawing on statistics from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages and referring to 19th century Poor Law administrative districts. These maps suggest that influenza entered the country at the same points as the majority of human traffic – along the eastern and northern seaboard – and travelled west with the movement of people. By overlaying the historical railway networks and British Army Regimental Depots on these maps, the team were able to illustrate the possible links between army personnel, the railway and the spread of the disease.
The researchers also mapped out the residential addresses of flu victims buried at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin and overlaid this on a 1925 Civic Survey map of Dublin’s “decayed housing” and tenements. This striking map suggests a link between poverty and influenza mortality with deaths frequently associated with areas of poorer housing such as Summer Hill and Capel Street.
Dr Georgina Laragy, Glasnevin Trust Assistant Professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage, School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity said: “The Great ‘Flu pandemic poses significant challenges for historians and museums. Coming at a time of immense death and destruction on the Western Front, flu was infinitely less emotive. And it was on the face of it, less political. Little material cultural has survived making it a challenge for a museum. It is only in recent years that historians in Ireland have begun to examine the phenomenon as part of the wider developments in Irish historiography that focuses on social, cultural and medical history. Moving beyond a purely political and military narrative of the Revolutionary Years, this helps expose the public to a much more nuanced version of past Irish society.’’
Commenting on the launch, John Green, Chair of Glasnevin Trust noted ‘It’s a great opportunity to be able to present this information to the public and shed a light onto what is up to now, quite a forgotten part of Irish history. 3-5% of the Irish population perished as a result of The Great Flu between 1918-1919 and working together with the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin, we were able to delve into the impact that had on Irish society at the time. Glasnevin Cemetery has close ties to this tragic period in history, with many of those who passed away as a result of the pandemic being buried here, so we’re honoured to be able to pay homage to The Great Flu in such a tangible and respectful way today.’’
Glasnevin Trust and the School of Histories and Humanities, Trinity College Dublin
The research presented at the conference was conducted by Dr Francis Ludlow, Dr Georgina Laragy (Trinity College Dublin), Ida Milne (Trinity and Carlow College) and Conor Dodd (Glasnevin Trust) and forms part of an ongoing collaboration between Trinity’s School of History and Humanities and Glasnevin Trust aimed at furthering public and academic understanding of the historic events that shape modern-day Ireland. This relationship culminated in 2015 with the creation of a new role, The Glasnevin Trust Assistant Professor in Public History and Cultural Heritage, who works as an intermediary between the academic landscape of research excellence and the practicalities of creating public history in a very unusual setting – the outdoor museum of Glasnevin.