Merlin Park Hospital

Xiney

It's so run down, man. It's like Ballychernobyl, looking at the buildings.

Nice to walk through it though, big green spaces. They sure took up as much space as they possibly could to build a hospital.


(We saw the world's fattest king charles spaniel. It waddled from the front much like mary harney. Looked a lot happier than her, though.)

skelliser

it was originally a tb hospital for isolation etc. hence the massive grounds

Xiney

aaaaah

that makes sense then.

_Whimsical_

Xiney wrote: »

It's so run down, man. It's like Ballychernobyl, looking at the buildings.

You should go inside. Parts of the out patients area are like time traveling back to the 1950s.

Tzetze

bigeasyeah

Xiney wrote: »

It's so run down, man. It's like Ballychernobyl, looking at the buildings.

Yeah thats what happens with a goverment that doesnt care about its people.

KittyeeTrix

My husbands grandfather was the New Zeland architect Norman White who designed Merlin Park hospital.
I have to agree parts of it are looking pretty shoddy now though:)

JohnCleary

Tzetze wrote: »

The boiler house is purposly not touched up with paint for a few reasons:

1) Maintenance staff are sick of people calling up to the yard asking if the Boiler House is the main hospital block :eek:

2) There's a lot of steel in the structure (which can be seen if you look close up irl) so would just penetrate the paint pretty quickly

IMHO it would be a total waste of money to tidy that thing up - who needs a freshly painted boiler house? I'd be raging if they spent a fcukload tidying it up when the HSE needs money pumped into it so badly in other areas

On a happier note, they've got funky modern XRay machines (I need to stop breaking bones )

mikemac

Used to go jogging through the grounds.
Back in the day when Dougiska (sp?) was a but a country lane. Around 2002-2003

Nice place for a walk if you can manage to ignore the depressing buildings.
lol,I used to think of Chernobyl too when I saw that boiler house

Worth strolling over to Merlin Park Castle, it's gated so not much you can do but worth a look anyway.

mr_disc

They recently have done that building up !. It looks brand new now.

Xiney

Yeah, the boiler house was actually the best looking building out of the whole lot.

JohnCleary wrote: »

The boiler house is purposly not touched up with paint for a few reasons:

1) Maintenance staff are sick of people calling up to the yard asking if the Boiler House is the main hospital block :eek:

Perhaps... a sign? That people could read? :eek:

There should really be a map upon entering the place - say if you're walking, you wouldn't be able to find where you were going very quickly. (UCHG has the same problem actually)

JohnCleary wrote: »

On a happier note, they've got funky modern XRay machines (I need to stop breaking bones )

We certainly noted that the Imaging department had the most modern looking signs there. To be perfectly honest, if the signs hadn't looked like they were designed in the past 5 years or so, it would have been easy to imagine the place abandoned.

Malice

Funny that a Chernobyl should get a mention today as the accident happened on April 26th, 1986.

As for Merlin Park, thankfully I haven't been there too often. The last time was for a job interview a few years ago and it was a depressing place then. I doubt a lot has changed.

JohnCleary

malice_ wrote: »

Funny that a Chernobyl should get a mention today as the accident happened on April 26th, 1986.

As for Merlin Park, thankfully I haven't been there too often. The last time was for a job interview a few years ago and it was a depressing place then. I doubt a lot has changed.

As a patient, Merlin Park is a much more relaxing place than UCHG though, imho anyway

Chris_533976

Also you can actually park

snubbleste

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Also you can actually park

It's called Merlin Park for a reason don't ya know

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

As a patient, Merlin Park is a much more relaxing place than UCHG though, imho anyway

I remember visiting my granny in there years ago and she was sitting at the window at the end of the ward watching rabbits going about their rabbit business. Very good for the soul.

JohnCleary

Deleted User wrote: »

I remember visiting my granny in there years ago and she was sitting at the window at the end of the ward watching rabbits going about their rabbit business. Very good for the soul.

Aye, even for the resident patients it's great to be able to go for a walk in peace etc.

Xiney

Honestly it is a very nice place to go for a walk - will definitely be back often.

Just wish I had a dog to take with me!

Kristopherus

malice_ wrote: »

Funny that a Chernobyl should get a mention today as the accident happened on April 26th, 1986.

As for Merlin Park, thankfully I haven't been there too often. The last time was for a job interview a few years ago and it was a depressing place then. I doubt a lot has changed.

How right you are on that count, as far as the staff are concerned any way. Depressing news coming in from the HSE every day.

Mrs OBumble

Chris_533976 wrote: »

Also you can actually park

Every time I hear about the parking etc hassles at UCHG, I can help but wonder if they shouldn't just move everything possible out to Merlin Park, and leave the Newcastle site as a community clinic only.

I know it would cost a fortune to put some facilities (operating theatres etc) there, but it really does seem nuts to have two public hospitals in somewhere the size of Galway, and the UCHG site doesn't appear to have any room to expand.

Has that ever been considered?

Chris_533976

The problem with UCHG is the fact that they've long tried to expand parking facilities only to be shot down by complaints from local residents and councillors. Its absolutely ridiculous. Now the latest crap are the green lobbies who say that we should all take buses/bikes to the hospital.

Problems.

1) The buses are crap.
2) Anyone going to the hospital to visit a sick relative doesnt give a **** about carbon emissions.

banshee_bones

Merlin Park freaks the bejasus outta me the buildings are so eerie. doesnt hep that i spent more than my fair share as a kid there visiting family members. Bad recollections of the place.... On the other hand the grounds are nice..

biko

Hopefully they'll put light in the intersection soon, it's a tricky one to get out from Merlin if you're turning right. I've know a person that was hit from the side there.

tinofapples

Merlin Park should be the primary hospital facility in Galway. F88k UCHG, no room up there for any expansion or car parking. Ridiculous waste of acres of land.

Madame Razz

JustMary wrote: »

I know it would cost a fortune to put some facilities (operating theatres etc) there, but it really does seem nuts to have two public hospitals in somewhere the size of Galway, and the UCHG site doesn't appear to have any room to expand.

Has that ever been considered?

There are Orthopaedic Operating theatres out there as it is.

And I believe that they are looking at utilising the Merlin site to a greater extent as they were unable to obtain that land-swap in Shantalla, exactly because of the vast space they have out in Merlin park.

Doubtless all those plans have been put on hold now cos of 'De recession':rolleyes:

DeadSkin

Some size grounds alright.
I remember when I was knee high to a grasshopper, goin' up there to play tennis and pitch & putt.
Used to get our conkers up there too , some savage sized trees.
Remember goin' for walks too in the Merlin woods and into the castle........ah nostalgia............

Webbs

I heard that back in the day, allegedly the consultants and the powers that be who lived in Galway didnt want to have to go as far as Merlin park to go to work so development was centered on UCHG.
Been to Merlin Park to visit people in the hospital and although it is old and tatty round the edges it is a much nicer place to be than UCHG

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

The boiler house is purposly not touched up with paint for a few reasons:

1) Maintenance staff are sick of people calling up to the yard asking if the Boiler House is the main hospital block :eek:

2) There's a lot of steel in the structure (which can be seen if you look close up irl) so would just penetrate the paint pretty quickly

IMHO it would be a total waste of money to tidy that thing up - who needs a freshly painted boiler house? I'd be raging if they spent a fcukload tidying it up when the HSE needs money pumped into it so badly in other areas

On a happier note, they've got funky modern XRay machines (I need to stop breaking bones )

They have done up the boiler house recently. They didn't paint it I think they used some sort of cladding to cover it up. I must have a right look some day.

I used to work up in maintenance during the summers a few years ago. You wouldn't meet a sounder crew anywhere, good craic working there too.

Asok

The inside of the boiler house was great, would be perfect for a bit of airsoft although being on the very top looking at an antennae did not help my hatred of heights.

JohnCleary

The top of the boiler house rocks, lovely view of Galway Bay/Salthill/Clare Mountains

Was a great spot to watch the planes flying around in the days coming up to the airshow as well. They used to fly very low over merlin park.

spiritcrusher

Used to work in the maintenance department myself for a few summers. On a fine day it was probably the nicest place you could imagine working. Most people in the place were very easy to get on with too. The morning tea break was some craic.

spiritcrusher

spiritcrusher wrote: »

Used to work in the maintenance department myself for a few summers. On a fine day it was probably the nicest place you could imagine working. Most people in the place were very easy to get on with too. The morning tea break was some craic.

Breakfast rolls all sides!!:D

JohnCleary

Jaysus lads we all prob know each other irl?? :eek:

You're right though, couldn't think of a better place to work for the summer. On the fine day's you'd have work for doing outside and on the sh1t days you'd be put doing something inside. Kind of an eye opener working in a hospital too - You'd get a wake up call when you'd be doing a job in wards, poor feckers crippled to the bed

Also loved that you weren't treated like dirt just because you were a kid workin' there for the summer - you actually got to do real jobs (as opposed to making the tea). I learned a fcuk load out there (mainly sparky and plumbing). Couldn't beat going for a game of pitch & putt after lunch either

twinkle_toes

there was a loose pony in there this morning.

tbh im a bit creeped out by the place cos i think i read it used to be a place for TB patients to go to die.

JohnCleary

twinkle_toes wrote: »

there was a loose pony in there this morning.

tbh im a bit creeped out by the place cos i think i read it used to be a place for TB patients to go to die.

A loose pony would only serve as entertainment... there's a few resident patients up there that go on the loose every so often :eek:

Yeah it was built as a TB hospital originally hence the scattered buildings

Mrs OBumble

twinkle_toes wrote: »

there was a loose pony in there this morning.

tbh im a bit creeped out by the place cos i think i read it used to be a place for TB patients to go to die.

Best you keep away from hospices then! And old houses too, just imagine what's happened in some of them over the years.

Seriously, I think that some people with TB did recover, once antibiotics came on the scene. Isolation was more about keeping 'em away from other people.

JohnCleary

JustMary wrote: »

Best you keep away from hospices then! And old houses too, just imagine what's happened in some of them over the years.

Seriously, I think that some people with TB did recover, once antibiotics came on the scene. Isolation was more about keeping 'em away from other people.

I've done my time volunteering with old people - Some made you laugh, some made you cry, some made you want to be dead :eek:

Not sure what the story with TB was, never looked into it - I heard somewhere before that there were different stages of TB hence different units??

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

Not sure what the story with TB was, never looked into it - I heard somewhere before that there were different stages of TB hence different units??

Yeah, the new/worst cases would come into one unit(not sure which one) and then be moved along as they improved until they were well enough to go home. The different units meant people who were nearly better had no contact with new cases etc.. I think unit 7 was the children's unit if I remember the story correctly.

Malice

Magnus wrote: »

Hopefully they'll put light in the intersection soon, it's a tricky one to get out from Merlin if you're turning right. I've know a person that was hit from the side there.

The best thing to do if you're coming out of there in a car is to turn left, go up as far as the lights into Galway Crystal, turn right and then come back out and turn left to go into town. The main Dublin road is both busy and fast so trying to turn right out of Merlin park will take quite a while unless you get very lucky with a break in traffic.

Rather than putting another set of traffic lights in I would hope that if anything was to be done, the entrance to the hospital would be connected up with the existing set.