University College Dublin Press
The Irish Sweep
A History of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake, 1930-87
9781906359416
9781906359409
Distributed for University College Dublin Press
The Irish Sweep
A History of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake, 1930-87
The Irish hospitals sweepstake, initially established to provide money for cash-strapped voluntary hospitals in Dublin, provided funding for Irish hospitals for over fifty years. Apart from its role in bringing millions of pounds of foreign currency into Ireland to build new hospitals and provide employment, it also contributed to the development of Irish advertising and broadcasting, horse-racing, the growth of Irish business and commercial sponsorship of sport. But that was not the whole story. Marie Coleman also digs deep into the murkier side of the Irish Sweep. She successfully reveals scandals, skulduggery and gangsterism, which all played their part in the sweepstakes, exposing the blind eyes that were turned to its shortcomings and exploring the extent to which these failings ultimately damaged the Irish health services by postponing necessary reforms.Using original archive material, "The Irish Sweep" successfully draws together these disparate aspects of the sweepstake - its social and economic importance in independent Ireland, its contribution to the development of Irish health services, and its illicit operation outside Ireland - to construct the first detailed and comprehensive history of an iconic institution.
Table of Contents
Introduction Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction ONE - The Origins of the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake TWO - The Sweepstake in Ireland in the 1930s THREE - The Development of Irish Hospitals in the 1930s FOUR - The Sweepstake in Great Britain in the 1930s FIVE - The Sweepstake in North America in the 1930s SIX - Survival and Recovery 1939-61 SEVEN - Decline and Closure 1961-87 EIGHT - The Sweepstake and Hospital Development 1939-87 Conclusion Appendix - Accounts of Sweepstake Draws Notes Bibliography Index.