AONGHUS O'DONNELL:AONGHUS O'DONNELL, who died unexpectedly aged 49, was consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Cork University Hospital.
He took up his senior post in the hospital in 1996, taking over from his colleague Tom Aherne, and his tenure saw much needed expansion of all aspects of cardiac surgical and medical services in the region. He brought to the task energy, enthusiasm, strong administrative skills and great generosity with his time – qualities that earned him the unstinting admiration of his colleagues.
He was a natural choice for head of division, a role he agreed to on a time-limited basis soon after his arrival in the department. His colleagues encouraged him to continue in this capacity; this he did up to his untimely death.
As head, he played a pivotal role in the development of the Cardiac Renal Centre in Cork, a state-of-the-art, six-storey, 150-bed unit consolidating cardiac and renal services for the southern region, a unique development in national terms.
In the month before his death, he spoke at the official opening of the unit in characteristically humble terms of the long process of planning, development and commissioning which had begun more than 10 years before.
Aonghus O’Donnell was a man of strongly held convictions, expressed with an effective combination of force and tact. Although his administrative skills were widely appreciated and put to great use, it was the delivery of a clinical service that he especially enjoyed and where he excelled.
In a specialty marked by its arduous nature, he was committed to hard work and thrived particularly in undertaking challenging cases with a paramount focus on patient care; possibly the most notable quality instilled in him by his mother, Eithne, who was a strong advocate of bedside manner and patient wellbeing in her own field of nursing.
His gregarious nature and innate conviction of the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach to clinical problems made for a particularly close and harmonious relationship with medical and surgical colleagues alike.
He took a lead in systematically ensuring the highest achievable quality of care within the unit, and for many years spent much time developing and maintaining an electronic register for regular internal and external audit.
Born in Dublin in 1961, Aonghus O’Donnell was the eldest of five boys born to Kevin and Eithne O’Donnell. His upbringing was imbued with a strong sense of family, impartiality and fair play, traits he upheld in his life, professional and social.
He received his early education at Kilmacud National School before a family move to London in 1968, where he attended Donhead Lodge Preparatory School in Wimbledon until the family returned to Dublin in 1974. His second-level education was completed at Gonzaga College, where he sat his Leaving Certificate in 1978.
He qualified from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1985. He interned in Beaumont Hospital. His surgical orientation was evident at an early stage when he undertook a BSc degree in anatomy in UCD, received with honours in 1987.
He entered formal surgical training in Dublin in 1988 and obtained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1990.
He developed an interest in cardiothoracic surgery during basic training following a period spent in the Mater hospital and indeed paid tribute to the influential role his former trainer, mentor and friend, the late Maurice Neligan, played in encouraging him to embark on his chosen career. His training in cardiothoracic surgery began in 1990 in the Mater and St James’s hospitals.
In the spring of 1992, he became the first non-US senior surgical fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, where he trained for a year with Dr Mortimer Buckley and colleagues. He returned to a senior registrar post at St James’s hospital in 1993. He then undertook training in paediatric cardiac surgery in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, from July 1994 until his senior posting at Cork University Hospital.
He maintained a particular interest in training and was highly regarded by the trainees he mentored, who, along with many newly appointed younger consultant colleagues, make mention of the care he took to help them in their careers.
Until the time of his death he was the national programme director for cardiothoracic surgical training and remained active in the RCSI and in the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland.
In 1991 he married Miriam, daughter of Seán and Terry McGeer, whose support and devotion greatly assisted the many moves associated with his professional progression. Their first child, Aoife, was born in Boston. Four siblings followed: Cian, Niamh, Neassa and Róisín.
Outside work, Aonghus loved his father Kevin’s home town of Castlegregory in Kerry. His other pursuits included fishing, shooting, cooking and supporting Munster rugby.
His surgical training was evident in the way he carefully prepared for an afternoon on a lake or river bank with the latest technology including a pair of polaroid goggles similar to the surgical microscope he wore in theatre.
He amassed a large group of great friends; with some he travelled the world to fish the most isolated of rivers; with others he would shoot in winter; all counted him a special companion.
His wife and children survive him, as do his father and brothers, Ciarán, Maghnus, Fiachra, Caoimhghín and their families.
Aonghus O’Donnell: born May 24th, 1961; died November 17th, 2010