Andrew Rynne is a retired Irish surgeon, medical practitioner and founder of Clane General Hospital in County Kildare. Rynne was the chairperson of the Irish Family Planning Association and the Republic of Ireland's first vasectomy specialist.[1] He was known for his liberal approach to birth control.[2]
Andrew Rynne | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18, 1942 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation(s) | General practitioner Surgeon |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for | Birth control supporter |
Early life and education
editRynne was born on 18 May 1942 in Downings House in Prosperous, County Kildare. His father was Stephen Rynne, a writer, broadcaster, author and wit, while his mother, Alice Curtayne, was a writer, hagiographer, lecturer, linguist and scholar. He attended National School Prosperous from 1947 to 1951 and Ring College Waterford from 1951 to 1952. From 1961 to 1968, he attended Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. After graduation, Rynne emigrated to Canada with an internship with Hamilton Civic Hospital.[3]
Career
editHe started his general practise in Mitchell, Ontario from 1968 to 1973, where he was introduced to vasectomy. In 1970, he was appointed as the coroner for the Perth County, Ontario. In January 1974, he returned to Ireland and established a general practise in Clane, County Kildare.[4]
In 1975, Rynne joined Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) and started doing vasectomies for them. In 1984, he sold condoms as an act of civil disobedience and got fined £500.[5] In the following year, he became the Chairman of IFPA. In the same year, he founded Clane General Hospital with the opposition from the Catholic Church and the local supporters.[6]
Shooting
editIn 1990, Rynne was shot by a former client.[7] According to Rynne, the gunman fired six or seven times with a .22 Long Rifle and shot him in the right hip.[8][9][10] The incident is the subject of a short film The Vasectomy Doctor by Paul Webster.[11]
Bibliography
edit- Smoking is Your Decision. Ward River Press 1982
- Abortion. The Irish Question. Ward River Press 1983[12]
- The Vasectomy Doctor. Mercier Press 2005[13]
- The Reverend Psychopath. Self-publishedAmazon. 2023 A biography about Rev Samul Cotton and his wife Eliza who founded a orphanage in Kildare in 1866. *
- The Foxhunter. A novel based on a true story of gross medical negligence that gave rise to Irelands Right to Die case 1995. To be published soon.
Trivia
editThe house featured on the front cover of Prosperous, a music album by Irish folk musician Christy Moore, was owned by Andrew Rynne.[14][15]
In March 2021, Rynne attended a protest against the lockdown in Dublin. After protests turned violent, he claimed that some protesters, who provoked the police, could have been planted by the government.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ireland's first vasectomy doctor tells how he was shot during surgery by an ex-patient". sundayworld. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Mahon, Brian. "Andrew Rynne suggests garda may have set up lockdown protest attacks". Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "Church's rigid approach to sex came from same source as those who later fought it". independent. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ Tallant, Nicola. "Doctor: my vasectomy shooting". The Times. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Hogan, Senan. "Controversial vasectomy doctor features in new TG4 series tonight". www.waterfordlive.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Hogan, Senan. "New TG4 programme on Kildare vasectomy doctor Andrew Rynne to air tonight". www.kildarenow.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "'I could look down the barrel of the gun. I could see the worm of the gun.' - RTÉ Radio 1 Highlights".
- ^ "Outlook - I was shot while performing a vasectomy". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- ^ McDonnell, Mary (31 May 2015). "Vasectomy doctor tells how he is determined to help men with sexual health problems". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ "'The gunman fired at me six or seven times. He hit me in the right hip. I had a feeling that I had escaped with my life' - pioneering doctor Andrew Rynne on the day he nearly died". independent. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Jarlath Regan (26 May 2019). "Dr. Andrew Rynne". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (297 ed.). SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
- ^ Rynne, Andrew (1982). Abortion : the Irish question. Dublin: Ward River Press. ISBN 0-907085-36-9. OCLC 9904653.
- ^ Rynne, Andrew (2005). The vasectomy doctor : a memoir. Cork: Mercier Press. ISBN 1-85635-483-0. OCLC 65467277.
- ^ McHugh, Conor (27 June 2018). "From 1798 to Christy Moore, Downings House in Prosperous has had a great history". www.leinsterleader.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Justin (1 December 2019). "Contents of stunning 18th century home to go up for auction". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Mahon, Brian. "Andrew Rynne suggests garda may have set up lockdown protest attacks". Retrieved 24 March 2021.
External links
edit- Andrew Rynne at IMDb