Discover the Cork GP who introduced Turkish baths to Europe

Rosanna Cooney explored our obsession with saunas in her book, Sweathouse. As part of her research, she discovered its origins go back to the 19th century, and a Cork GP who introduced Turkish baths to Europe. Here, she tells his story

‘Sweathouse’ author Rosanna Cooney researched how Turkish baths emerged in Cork.

Richard Barter never really got his due. The Cork-born GP’s invention played a role in the diverse realms of the RMS Titanic, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and the Irish Civil War — yet his name is largely lost to history.

The mushrooming culture of wild and mobile saunas around Ireland has now brought Barter’s innovation back into the zeitgeist.