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In the latest in our series of articles written by former medical professionals, patients and museum staff as part of Newry and Mourne Museum’s new temporary exhibition, Caring for the Community: The Development of Medicine in Newry and Mourne, Dr Michele McVerry shares memories of her father, Dr Michael McVerry.
My father Dr Michael McVerry, was a local GP and practised from his home at 7 John Mitchel Place in Newry. He was born on 5th May 1917, the son of Bernard and Rosina McVerry (nee McKnight), who had a grocery business in Hill Street in the town. My grandparents had seven children, Maureen, John, Bridie, Michael, Theresa, Eileen and Kaye.
My father attended the Christian Brothers Primary School in Newry, then attended Clongowes Wood College in county Kildare. He did his leaving certification at the age of seventeen and gained entry to the medical school at UCD. He qualified as a doctor in June 1939 and worked as a doctor in Cornwall during the Second World War.
My father returned to Ireland in 1947 and bought Dr Grant’s practice at 7 John Mitchel Place in Newry, as doctors did before the National Health Service was introduced in 1948. In February 1949 married Maureen Macken from Dalkey, Dublin and had three children; Ian born in 1950, I was born in 1954 and Raymond arrived in 1956. We lived above my father’s practice. Like our father, we all chose medicine as our careers.
His practice included areas around his surgery, High Street, North Street, Courtney Hill, The Commons, William Street, Drumalane and the ‘Meadow’. Dr Grant, was originally from Mayobridge and my father also inherited many of his patients in that area.
As a child I can remember the doorbell was always ringing. Transport was limited then. It wasn’t the norm to have a car, or even a phone, so many came on foot and rang the doorbell with their request. During surgery hours, we as children were told to be very quiet. We learned not to touch the telephone in case it was a medical call. My father seemed to work all day, and at night, he rarely appeared to be off duty. Designated surgery hours started at 9.30 am in the morning again at 2 pm in the afternoon and there was an evening surgery starting 6 pm. There wasn’t an appointment system, it was a walk-in surgery, and there were house calls in between and maybe a home obstetric delivery to attend during the day, or night.
I can still remember my father’s surgery. We, as young children weren’t allowed into it except when we were invited in by my father. It was kept locked. It had a large roll desk with a key to it, with drawers on either side. There was a book case. He had an examination couch and a purple covered timber screen which was moveable. There was a small oak cabinet in which he kept his instruments. He had a filing system which I clearly remember. It was wooden, and it wasn’t very elaborate with alphabetical A-Z pull out drawers. Obviously, there was a wash-hand basin. He had a lovely antique chair which swivelled. When children attended with their parents, sometimes my father would put the child in the chair and give it a swivel to amuse. He had an electric bell that connected from the surgery to the waiting room and he’d press that, and the next patient would come in. The waiting room was quite big and nicely furnished with Dr Grant’s old antique furniture. Its window faced out to the main street. My father’s professional brass name plate was outside at the front door, and early on, my mother placed decorative geranium flower boxes on all the window sills. There wasn’t a receptionist, my mother would have opened the door and answered the phone. She often made cups of tea for waiting patients. She had a major role in those days. You had to be available, there weren’t rotas like nowadays. Holidays were infrequent and on occasion curtailed. There wasn’t a practice nurse. My father did all the dressings, ear syringing, and poultices which were common in those early days. Not many poultices now!
We, as a family, moved to live at Rostrevor in 1960. Around 1966, my father sold the house in John Mitchel Place and moved his practice to rented premises in Corry Square which he shared with other doctors but never joined in practice, they worked separately.
The Troubles started in 1969 and had a major impact on life in Newry. His surgery was in a bad position, being opposite the police station which was ‘blown up’ a few times and, on occasion, the surgery suffered from the blast also, but this danger didn’t stop patients attending. Anyhow, in 1971 he joined the Alliance Party, as one of its early members and stood for election in 1973, in Newry South Ward. He topped the poll in his ward and became an Alliance Party councillor on Newry and Mourne District Council, continuing on for eight years, having been re-elected in 1977. He was Chairman of Newry and Mourne District Council from 1978 to 1979.
Around 1973, my father was one of the GPs who favoured the move to John Mitchel Place to what we now refer to as the ‘Old Health Centre’, opposite our former premises in 7 John Mitchel Place. He had practiced as a single-handed general practitioner from 1947 until I joined him in general practice, as his first partner in 1982. My father retired from being a principal in general practice in October 1989, at the age of 72. However, he continued to work as a locum for a few years.
In 1990, I amalgamated my practice with that of my brothers, Dr Ian McVerry and Dr Raymond McVerry and their partner Dr Mark McEvoy. My father died on 25th September 2013. His granddaughter, Dr Fiona McVerry, is now qualified in medicine, the next generation.
Entry to Caring for the Community: The Development of Medicine in Newry and Mourne is free and the exhibition runs until early September 2023. For further information please contact the Assistant Curator at 0330 137 4608.
The Museum is currently offering free tours of the main exhibition galleries on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 2.00 pm. These must be booked in advance by calling our Education Officer at 0330 137 4422.
Newry and Mourne Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10.00 am – 4.30 pm. Please call 0330 137 4422 or email museums@nmandd.org for further information.
Please visit our website at www.visitmournemountains.co.uk
by Dr Michele McVerry
