Bressie podcast on ‘dark history of St Loman’s’

A new Audible Original podcast, The Madman’s Hotel, fronted by Niall Breslin seeks to “uncover the dark history of St Loman’s Hospital”.

The Madman’s Hotel is presented By Niall Breslin, supported by Julie Clarke, whose great grandmother Julia Leonard spent most of her life at the hospital.

Beginning with a family’s mission to find the truth about what happened to their great grandmother, The Madman’s Hotel expands to uncover the treatment received by patients within a ‘lunatic asylum’ that led to 1,304 bodies being unaccounted for within its grounds.

St Loman’s officially closed its doors in 2013, and the last reported burial there was in 1970.

Episode one introduces Julia Leonard, who was admitted to St Loman’s Hospital (coined in a 1950s poem penned by a patient, The Madman’s Hotel) by her husband in the late 1890s.

Despite her mental state being seemingly well, she spent 20 years imprisoned before her death in 1919. It’s suspected by her great granddaughter, Julie, that the motive behind her incarceration was so her husband could carry on an affair, creating lasting repercussions for the family, and their turbulent and unexpected history is revealed over the course of the podcast series.

Julie and Niall embark on a journey to discover what happened to St Loman’s graveyard, where exactly Julia Leonard is buried, and where the other 1,303 patients are.

Together they confront the HSE and engage with other families who have their own stories of relatives who were committed to St Loman’s, spotlighting the enduring stigma attached to mental health for many.

The series culminates in the first apology from the HSE for the mishandling of the graves of former patients. The launch of the series this week coincides with legislation seeking to protect the records of survivors of such institutions being brought forward to the Dáil.

Niall Breslin said: “I have dedicated the last four years to uncovering Ireland’s haunting past of coercive confinement in institutions like St Loman’s. This history has deeply consumed me, revealing a legacy we can no longer ignore. These shadows of the past still echo in our global mental health systems today.

“What makes it so difficult for society to face this history is that it forces us to hold up a mirror and confront uncomfortable truths. We became so uneasy with others’ pain that we hid it away – quite literally – burying it along with the voices that were silenced.

“Julia’s heartbreaking story was tragically not unique. For too long, we have stolen people’s freedom and dignity, and my deepest hope for this series is that we can help restore some dignity to those wronged in life by honouring them in death.

“It has been a privilege to tell this story, and I am grateful to Julia’s family for trusting me with their truth.”

The Madman’s Hotel is available exclusively on Audible from October 21 at audible.co.uk; Audible membership may be required.