Mater Infirmorum Hospital

The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, commonly known as The Mater is an acute hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland and serves a population of over 200,000 people. It provides services to most of North Belfast and South Antrim, reaching as far as Glengormley, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey. It also provides a psychiatric service for North Belfast and West Belfast. The Belfast Trust provides a wide range of services including acute In-patient, A&E, Day Procedures, Mental Illness and Maternity. The Latin word Mater is commonly pronounced both "matt-er" and "mae-ter" by residents of the city (the pronunciation does not denote anything about religion or political sympathies of the speaker) This has led to the phrase "You go to the maeter to find out what's the matter".HistoryThe Mater Infirmorum Hospital has been serving the people of Belfast since it admitted its first patients on 1 November 1883, in premises on the Crumlin Road in Belfast, known as Bedeque House. It was initially founded by the Sisters of Mercy but has always treated patients without regard to class or creed. Between 1841 and 1891, the population of Belfast dramatically increased from 75,308 to 255,922. In 1895, the Bishop of Down and Connor Dr Patrick MacAlister arranged for expansion of the Mater Infirmorum Hospital with construction of a new building on Mountview Terrace.