19.10.2013
300th Anniversary of the Death of Sir Patrick Dun Commemorated in St Michan’s
A commemorative service to mark the 300th anniversary of the death of Sir Patrick Dun (1642–1713) was held in St Michan’s Church on Wednesday October 16. Patrick Dun was churchwarden when the new church was built in 1686 and presented the church with some fine silverware and is interred in the crypt beneath.
The service of Choral Evensong was conducted by the Revd David MacDonnell and the UCD Choral Scholars provided contemporary music to Dun’s lifetime. The service ended with the unveiling of a plaque in memory of Sir Patrick Dun which was donated to the church by The Royal Irish College of Physicians.
When he died, Dun left his estate in trust to RCPI. Over the next two hundred and fifty years the Dun’s Trust would fund the King’s Professor, who taught medicine in Trinity College Dublin, and Sir Patrick Dun’s Hospital on Grand Canal Street in Dublin.
In his will Dun also left his personal library to RCPI. This collection formed the nucleus of the RCPI’s library, which has been called Dun’s Library ever since. Dun’s library today contains over 30,000 books and is a unique resource for research into the history of medicine in Ireland.
Photo captions:
Above: Dr Michael Scott, Prof Conor O’Keans, Reverend David MacDonnell, Prof John Crowe President RCPI, Mr Karl Morris Mace Barer, Dr Paul Darragh. (Photo: Bobby Studio Photographers)
Below: Reverend David MacDonnell, Prof John Crowe President RCPI with the UCD Choral Scholars. (Photo: Bobby Studio Photographers)
