St Colmcille's BNS

In 1890 Patrick Cleary was 20 years old, and living with his family on Main St, Swords. He went to work every day as a ploughman for the Earley family who farmed the land at Mountgorry on the Malahide Road. As Patrick Cleary was coming home from work out came a dog, the dog bit him on the arm. Patrick was rushed to the nearest doctor who cauterised the wound and in a few days time Paddy’s condition became worse as the dog had Rabies or Hydrophobia. This meant certain death.

                          Louis Pasteur

Balrothery Board of Guardians decided to send 5 people to Paris for the new treatment by Louis Pasteur. A film on the life of Louis Pasteur was shown in Dublin in 1936 and Paddy was the only one only at the film who had been treated by the great man. Paddy described it like this: “A powerful men held me by the shoulder to keep the chair steady unless I kick the Professor. I was stripped to my waist. Pasteur came in and said something soothing to me in French. Then suddenly he prodded me with a needle while the strong man held me down. Then for three weeks we had some more treatment.”

Recovery

Patrick Cleary didn’t retire from farming until he was 80 years old and died in May 1950 at the age of 87.