The Spanish Flu infected c. 800,000 people and claimed over 23,000 lives in Ireland in 1918/1919. The virus was brought into Ireland by Irish soldiers returning from the Great War in spring 1918 and, by June, the press was reporting the spread of this ‘mysterious scourge’ amongst entire families and work forces in urban centres in counties Antrim, Derry, Galway, Tipperary, Westmeath, and Cork.
Isolated cases of non-seasonal influenza emerged in Limerick in the summer of 1918 and significant infection commenced in October/November. That returning soldiers were primarily responsible for the virus’s transmission to Limerick was confirmed by an outbreak amongst the city’s military at this time which quickly claimed twenty-four lives. Although public buildings such as schools and theatres closed their doors, and fairs and markets were suspended, in an effort to contain it, the epidemic was soon county-wide. By the spring of 1919, approximately 28,500 Limerick citizens had been infected and between 700 and 1,000 had died.
