Plaque unveiled to mark home of physician and philanthropist Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw

A plaque has been unveiled to commemorate physician and philanthropist Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw at his home in Molesworth Street, Dublin 2. 

Born in Antrim, Grimshaw spent most of his life in Dublin and studied medicine at Trinity College Dublin. During his studies he would experience the 1866 cholera epidemic, and would write extensively on the importance of clean water supply. Throughout his life he would go on to be appointed professor of Botany at Trinity College Dublin, professor of what is now called pharmacology at the Dublin School of Medicine and Registrar General of Ireland. He would be one of the first to study patterns of migration in rural Ireland, and continues to be a highly respected statistician. 

Speaking at the plaque unveiling, the Lord Mayor of Dublin James Geoghegan said “The vines planted by this one time professor of botany extended far and wide, beyond Molesworth Street, beyond Dublin, beyond Ireland and through the ages into the lives of people today who have access to clean drinking water and enjoy healthy lifestyles today.”

The plaque unveiling was also attended by Dr. Diarmuid O’Shea, President of the Royal College of Physicians, Donal De Buitleir, Vice President of the Statistical Society of Ireland and Roly Grimshaw, a descendant of Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Diarmuid O’Shea remarked “I am delighted Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw, former President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, is being honoured today.  Grimshaw was a progressive physician, with ideas ahead of his time.  He transformed the way information in our national census was used, highlighting and addressing health inequities and inequalities. By combining new medical knowledge and statistical data he made important contributions in public health, the treatment of infectious diseases and the management of TB.  I would like to thank Dublin City Council for commemorating his many contributions to the improvement of health in our city in this way.”

Donal De Buitleir, Vice President of the Statistical Society of Ireland, spoke of Grimshaw’s life as a statistician, saying “To this day, the impact of Grimshaw’s contributions to the field of statistics can still be felt, from our bookshelves to their digital counterparts. One of Grimshaw’s most notable acts as Registrar General was to require death certificates to be authorised by trained doctors, and cause of deaths included. His work on migration within rural Ireland can still be found cited in academic papers and are fundamental to our understanding of the history of the movement of the Irish Population.”

The decision to erect the plaque was made by the Dublin City Council Commemorations & Naming Committee. Councillor Vincent Jackson, Committee Chairperson said, “The Commemorative Plaques Scheme allows the City to formally commemorate people who have made a significant contribution to the life of Dublin. We welcome suggestions from the public for people and events to be commemorated and full details are on the Council website.”