St. Luke’s Hospital, Rathgar, Dublin, has been specialising in treating cancer patients for over half a century. Opened back in 1952, the hospital was created by the Cancer Association of Ireland and has become the primary national centre for radiotherapy.
As well as its important role in the health of Ireland, the hospital also has some architectural significance, with the main building designed by Irish architect Thomas Kennedy. He was awarded the RIAI Triennial Gold Medal for the period 1950-52, which included his work on the hospital, by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.
The hospital is funded by a charity organisation, the Friends of St. Luke’s, made up of volunteers and local business people who support the good work done here. This has allowed the further development of the hospital’s exceptional oncology unit that is helping in the fight against cancer across Ireland.
Situated just a few miles south of the city centre, near the Terenure and Rathfarnham districts, visitors to the city can easily make it out to the hospital to look at the architecture of the main building and to see the development that’s taken place here in recent years.
St. Luke’s Hospital occupies a special place in the medical history of both Dublin and Ireland, pointing the way to a brighter future for cancer patients and putting the city on the map as the home of a pioneering and exceptional treatment centre. It’s something the people of Dublin are rightly proud of.
