Dr Dan Donovan was a hero of the Great Famine in Skibbereen. Born in Rosscarbery, he studied medicine in Edinburgh before being appointed as the first Medical Officer of Skibbereen workhouse in 1839.

Dr Dan saved many, many lives through his work during the Great Famine in Skibbereen, raising awareness through his writings and endangering his life on a daily basis helping the people of this locality. His harrowing descriptions of this area, regularly published in the press and medical journals, focussed attention on Skibbereen, making it a destination for reporters and others to visit.

Dr Dan has always featured prominently in Irish Famine historiography, but he is also now well known by the general public too having featured in the bestselling novel The Hungry Road, by Marita Conlon-McKenna.

Like many other aid-workers during the Famine, Dr Dan suffered from ‘the fever’  and his health was subsequently compromised:

‘His exertions day and night in succouring the poor and afflicted were almost superhuman … Though Dr Donovan survived the Famine thirty years, he never recovered his superhuman labours and his closing days were those of a confirmed invalid’.

In 1859, a gathering of 150 local people presented a ‘silver service of plate’ to Dr Dan for his services during the ‘horrors of the Famine’. ‘When this town … became the scene of the deepest and most widespread misery … when, at the constant peril of your life … your attention to the cries of the suffering poor was unremitting’.

Part of this ‘service of plate’ is now on display at Skibbereen Heritage Centre thanks to the very generous donation by Brenda Ratkay of Ontario who got in touch with us in 2025. This precious item was a family heirloom and was proudly on display in her home in an especially-made cabinet.

The inscription on it reads:

The service of plate to which this belongs was presented to Daniel Donovan Esq. M.D. by the inhabitants of Skibbereen and its extensive district both as a tribute to his private worth and in grateful recollection of his long and able Professional Services especially during the Calamitous Famine of 1846-7. 

August 1859

Brenda said, of her very generous donation to the town of Skibbereen:

“This sterling silver samovar, gifted to the esteemed Dr. Daniel Donovan by the inhabitants of Skibbereen, has been a treasured possession in my family for 88 years.

Its journey with us began in 1937, when my grandmother, Hazel Peacock, purchased the urn in Toronto, Canada, as a wedding gift for my mother, Edith Miles. My mother cherished it in her home for 65 years, until 2002, when she passed it down to me. I have proudly kept the samovar in a special place in my home for the past 23 years.

In 2025, I reached out to the Skibbereen Heritage Centre with the wish to return this important piece of Skibbereen history to its rightful home. It is with deep respect for history and heritage, and the important work of the Skibbereen Heritage Centre, that I offer this piece in honour of Dr. Donovan, whose tireless service during his life’s work left an enduring mark on Irish history.

Now the samovar is safely in Skibbereen, Ireland—home at last.”

We do not know how it found its way to Canada but we are now delighted to have this beautiful item on display at Skibbereen Heritage Centre where it serves as a palpable link to the work of this extraordinary man.

Dr Dan Donovan died at his home in North Street, Skibbereen in 1877 aged just 69. His obituary in the Freeman’s Journal said:

"The achievements of Dr Donovan during the famine will be found recorded in all the annals of the time. His exertions day and night in succouring the poor and afflicted were almost superhuman. He was the soul, the centre, and the organiser of all the plans of relief by which aid was brought to the agonised people. In letters to the leading London papers he laid bare the awful truth, and thus obtained thousands of pounds for the relief of the poor.
We know of no other case in which a man who never left a small provincial town is regarded in the world of medical science as a great original authority. Though Dr Donovan survived the Famine thirty years, he never recovered his superhuman labours and his closing days were those of a confirmed invalid. He leaves a widow and large family to lament his loss. In other lands the services of such a man would have been amply recognised by the State. No such recognition was, we believe, ever made of the labours and researches of Dr Donovan."

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.