Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Website > Annual Report 2025-2026 > Our Work

Connecting Past, Present and Future

Our historic home at No. 6 Kildare Street is a meeting place in Dublin's city centre for our global community of physicians to gather, learn, celebrate achievement and shape the future of healthcare. The College's nationally significant heritage collections of more than 50,000 objects, archives and rare books, spanning nearly 400 years of medical practice and education are housed within No. 6, and widely used to explore the past, and inform the future of healthcare.

Over 150 New items added to the collections

8% Increase in researchers utilising RCPI collections

17,061 Visitors to 902 events at No. 6 Kildare Street

22% Increase in attendance across our public engagement programme

Developing our collections

From Dr Kathleen Lynn’s diaries to Napoleon’s toothbrush our collections provide a unique insight into medicine and healthcare in Ireland. We are constantly developing our collections to capture as many aspects of our history as possible. This year’s new accessions include a portrait of pioneering paediatrician Dr Dorothy Stopford-Price (1890-1954) and a collection of items from the former Grangegorman Asylum in Dublin.

Public engagement programme

Our public engagement programme continues to welcome growing numbers of visitors through the doors of No. 6 Kildare Street. We deliver a series of talks, tours, exhibitions and theatrical events that connect new audiences with our heritage and collections. This year, we hosted Colin Murphy’s Miasma, which explores trust in science, and Dan Lauria’s Just Another Day, examining the challenges of ageing. Our exhibition Homesick: Domestic Medicine in Ireland, c.1790-1900, shone a light on healthcare in the home and the often-overlooked role of women in its delivery.

A once in a generation opportunity

We are creating Ireland's first publicly accessible medical museum, transforming a nationally significant collection of more than 50,000 objects, archives and rare books into a vibrant resource for learning, discovery and public engagement. For the first time, these remarkable stories will be accessible to the public. Through powerful objects, personal stories and interactive experiences, the museum will reveal how medicine has shaped our society, transformed lives and continues to influence our future. Our museum will be about people and the experiences that connect us all. In 2025, the college appointed our first Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships, Eleanor Flew, and Philanthropic investment is now sought to support conservation, design and exhibition development. Our anticipated opening date for the museum is 2029.