Dr Bartley Sheehan who died on April 10th, aged 66, was a general practitioner and a coroner for the county of Dublin. Born in Ballyvaughan, Co Clare in 1934 he settled in Dun Laoghaire in 1937 where his father established a medical practice. He was the eldest of Dr JJ (John) and Jenny (nee Joyce) Sheehan's four children. Following the untimely death of his wife in 1945, JJ Sheehan subsequently met and married Eileen Bowe. They went on to have four more children. Bartley Sheehan greatly enjoyed being the eldest of a large family.
It was unsurprising that he chose medicine after his early education locally and later at Clongowes Wood College. Upon graduation from UCD in 1958 and following further training at the major Dublin hospitals he took up the position of ship's doctor on the SS Glenorchie and travelled from Southampton to the Far East.
He returned to Dun Laoghaire and joined his father in practice in 1961.
Later that year he established the other great partnership in his life when he married Mary McHugh, a nurse he had met during their training at St Vincent's Hospital. The couple supported each other and took great pride in their three children. In keeping with their outlook on life they encouraged their children to find their own feet and to be individuals.
Throughout the 60s Dr Sheehan and his father continued to develop a successful practice.
In the practice, which continues to operate today, he fostered an ethos of complete care for his patients, encouraging the members of a developing group-practice to develop special skills.
He inherited from his father the idea that the general practitioner is the shepherd of his patients ensuring that all their physical, social and psychological needs are met. In the early 70s, with a number of like-minded colleagues he participated in the establishment of Ireland's first GP training programme. He was something of a visionary in that he advocated that through the pooling of collective experiences both in practice and in the community at large the medical profession could continue to develop and improve the service they offered to their patients.
In 1973 he was appointed coroner for the county of Dublin. He used this office to good effect to highlight the social impact of many issues, particularly suicide and drug abuse among all elements of society. He gave freely of his time to the families of suicide victims and regularly commented on the increasing pressures placed upon the youth of today.
Throughout his distinguished career he enjoyed contributing to the development of medicine and its related services through his participation on many bodies and authorities such as the Irish Medical Council, the Eastern Health Board and the MedicoLegal Society.
His most treasured faculty was the ability to think. He enjoyed the consideration and contemplation of a vastly diverse range of topics. Many happy hours were spent in both Wicklow and along the seafront at Dun Laoghaire marching at what he would describe as "a brisk pace" while relishing the resolution of the issue of the day.
He returned to UCD in his early 50s where he completed a M.Med.Sc (Psychotherapy).
He subscribed to the view that no man is an island and constantly explored the social nature of man's existence. His support and advice were freely available to all those who chose to seek them and was always offered on an unconditional basis. He enjoyed challenging the status quo with the intention of provoking discussion in order to identify the best way forward.
He viewed his work not as a place of employment, but rather as a place of ongoing education and personal development. He felt he learned something new every day. In the later years he returned to the GP training scheme where he enjoyed the challenge of facilitating a course in human development.
Dr Bartley Sheehan is survived by his wife, Mary; their children, Morgan, Barry and Eavan; brothers, Noel and Kieran; and sisters, Sinead, Margaret and Catherine. He was pre-deceased by his sister, Mary and brother, Sean.
Bartley Sheehan: born 1934; died April, 2000