As part of National Heritage Week, visitors will be welcomed into RCPI’s historic building at No. 6 Kildare Street on Tuesday, 23 August 2011.

Situated on Kildare Street since 1864, RCPI is the oldest surviving medical institution in Ireland. The RCPI Heritage Day is an excellent opportunity to explore this elegant building, which houses an extensive collection of rare and valuable paintings, silverware, artefacts, archive material and books, and will be open to the public from 11.00am to 8.00pm on 23 August.

To celebrate this year’s theme of Art and Diversity, guided tours, exhibitions and events will take place throughout the day, such as:

- A unique display of items from RCPI’s library and archive, exploring the traditional link between art and medicine, and demonstrating how art has been used to illustrate medicine. 
- An exhibition looking at diversity in Irish medicine and how, during its history, the College influenced access to the medical profession in Ireland.
- A more contemporary look at how art and medicine can interact is The Lost Portrait Gallery, an installation of 36 portraits of individuals lost to suicide, created by Seamus McGuinness and Kevin Malone. It is the result of a collaborative Arts and Science Project, first presented in RCPI in May 2010.

- A documentary on Dr Kathleen Lynn, the pioneering doctor and political activist, will be screened at 1.00pm and 6.00pm.

Guided tours of the building and exhibitions will take place at 11.30am, 1.00pm, 2.30pm, 4.00pm, 5.30pm and 7.00pm on 23 August. Numbers on the tours are limited. Places can be booked in advance by contacting Andy Holly at andyholly@rcpi.ie or 01 8639 779.

Members of the press and media are welcome to attend this event. Interviews with key RCPI personnel can be arranged either in advance or on the day. Please contact Aoife Ní Mhaitiú, Communications Executive at RCPI, or phone 01 8639 770 to make interview or tour arrangements.

RCPI Heritage Day is part of the Archives Awareness Campaign.