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Blue Plaques in Waterford where Ireland's first x-ray was taken

Blue Plaques in Waterford where Ireland's first x-ray was taken
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Two new blue plaques will be unveiled in Waterford today at the grounds of De La Salle College, where Ireland's first x-ray happened.

They'll be the first plaques unveiled by the Waterford Civic Trust since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plaques will remember the former teaching training college, as well as Brother Potamian O'Reilly, a pioneer in radiology who's understood to have taken Ireland's first x-ray in 1896.

The story goes that Brother Potamian was asked by local GP Dr Atkins to take an x-ray of the hand of a Waterford woman, the result of which revealed a splinter, which the doctor removed.

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It's the first time two plaques will be erected on the same building in the one day, which has been described by Eugene Broderick, Chairperson of the Civic Trust  as a "measure of the rich history and contribution of that institution (De La Salle) to Waterford"

Speaking to WLR Former teacher at De La Salle College, Fergus Dunne says it's great to see the achievements at De La Salle recognised with two Blue Plaques:

The whole history of the De La Salle teaching training college was really lost. A lot of people had no idea that there was a teaching training college here, and that there was a third level institution in the City, long before there was talk of looking for a university

The unveiling of the plaques will happen at 2pm today.

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You can listen back here on more about the occasion, on Déise Today with Damien.

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