Permission from hospital authorities to open the meeting came after Dennis submitted LifeRing print materials and spoke personally with clinical staff members.
St. Patrick's is a private non-profit mental hospital that prides itself on its up-to-date methods and facilities. It is also a very historic place, having been founded in 1745 by a grant from the great English satirist Jonathan Swift (Gulliver's Travels), who left his estate to found a hospital "for fools and mad." It was the first mental hospital in Ireland and is one of the oldest in the world. More.
The hospital is Ireland's largest independent mental health service provider. Besides clinical services, it promotes mental health education and is an advocate for the rights of the mentally ill. St. Patrick's was also the site of the first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in Ireland.
