The 16th November 2017 is a very important day in the history of Shields. It is 100 years since Conor and Cormac’s Grandfather qualified as a Dental Surgeon.
Mr Francis P J Shields was born in Dungannon, County Tyrone in 1890. He qualified in November 1917, LDS RCSI. At that time, the Royal College of surgeons in Dublin was the main dental school in Ireland and had been open since 1899. Cork established a Dental Hospital and School in 1913 and Belfast in 1920. Incidentally, Mr Charlie O’Malley of Limerick was one of his classmates at the time. Frank Shields commenced his dental practice in Dungannon following a period as a houseman in the Dublin dental hospital. At that time, there were very few qualified dental surgeons in the country, the bulk of dental care being carried out by registered dentists. Mr Shields remained in practice in Dungannon for over 40 years. Whilst attending a pre-op visit for a patient at the south Tyrone hospital, he collapsed and died aged 69.
His son Frank (Conor and Cormac’s Father) at that stage was a dental student in Dublin. When he qualified, he went to general dental practice in England for 3-4 years and then followed his father’s tradition into dental practice in Dungannon.
