Bones of Contention: Tales from the Foundation of the Old Anatomy Museum

We are opening our halls for special Heritage Week tours of the Old Anatomy Museum at Trinity College Dublin. This is a rare opportunity to gain exclusive access to the Old Anatomy Museum and Lecture Theatre, which are normally only accessible to staff and students.

Guided by Museum Curator, Evi Numen, travel back to 1825, the year Professor of Anatomy James Macartney laid the foundations of the Anatomy Museum of the School of Medicine of Trinity College Dublin. Learn about the trials and tribulations of the larger than life Macartney, medical reformer, United Irishman, and accused heretic. Through letters, notebooks, specimens and artefacts, we will explore the foundational stories of our heritage collection and of medical education in Ireland at large. Eager students, graverobbers, and the first woman to donate her body for dissection, all figure in the tales that populate our museum.

Join us to get a glimpse of the early history of body donation and dissection, the Irish pioneers of anatomy, the study of rare conditions, and the human experiences of health and disease that shaped the medical field.

Please note:
This event is designed for visitors aged 18 and over and not suitable for children.

The museum includes human and animal remains on display, in skeletal and visceral form (potted dissections). Please exercise discretion when booking.

Photography is allowed in our lecture theatre, but it is strictly prohibited in the museum.

Booking is required.

This event is not accessible to people with mobility access requirements. Regrettably, there are steps both outside and inside the Old Anatomy Museum building and there is no lift access. Works are underway to improve accessibility for all.