Alice Mary Barry (8 April 1880 – 2 July 1955) was an Irish medical doctor, the first woman to be nominated for a fellowship of the

Royal College of Physicians of Ireland The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), () is an Irish professional body dedicated to improving the practice of general medicine and related medical specialty, medical specialities, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by e ...

Early life and career

Barry was born in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

, Ireland, to Richard Barry and Mary Mahony. She gained her medical licence in 1906 from the

graduating from the Apothecaries Hall. She was one of only six women to do this between 1885 and 1922. Her residency was with the Mater Hospital in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. She gained a Diploma in Public Health in 1905. As one of the early women doctors, Barry was an active and founding member of the

Women's National Health Association The Women's National Health Association (WNHA) was a body set up in Ireland in 1907 with the objective of eliminating, as far as possible, the scourge of tuberculosis, and to bring about a reduction in the high infant mortality rates in Ireland. ...

which began in 1908. Through the association Barry became the medical officer for nine Babies Clubs in Dublin from 1912 to 1929. Barry was one of the founders of St Ultan's Infant Hospital that was first opened in 1919 in Dublin, and one of the benefactors and fundraisers for the hospital. She worked with the various government-established councils on public health and medical services in Ireland. While based in Cork, Barry worked in Kilbrittain as the dispensary district medical officer until she was succeeded there by Dorothy Stopford Price. She was a supporter of the republican movement and was known to give shelter to republicans seeking shelter during the

war of independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. On one occasion, by pretending to be visiting a sick patient, Barry prevented one arrest of

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

and walked out of a house of British soldiers with his papers under her jumper. Later, Barry began to focus on TB, and was running sanatoria, one in Rossclare,

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

and then the Peamount Sanatorium in

Newcastle, County Dublin Newcastle () is a village in South Dublin county south-west of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is also a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish in the Barony (Ireland), historical barony of the same name. It was the location of the cas ...

, where she developed treatments and care routines for the children sent there. She was involved in the foundation of the Peamount Industries.

Fellowship

Barry was a member of the

(RCPI) from 1911 and was the first woman to be nominated for a fellowship in 1914. However her nomination was withdrawn when a ruling by the college restricted the award to men. This caused the college to review and then update the rules which then permitted women to become fellows but it took until 1930 for Barry to be elected.

Death

Poor health caused Barry to resign from full-time work in 1946 but she continued to devote her time to St. Ultan's. She died on 2 July 1955 in Dublin and is buried in

Glasnevin Glasnevin (, also known as ''Glas Naedhe'', meaning "stream of O'Naeidhe" after a local stream and an ancient chieftain) is a neighbourhood of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the River Tolka. While primarily residential, Glasnevin is also home to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barry, Alice 1880 births 1955 deaths Irish women medical doctors Medical doctors from Cork (city) 20th-century Irish medical doctors 20th-century Irish women medical doctors