Speech at a reception to mark the Irish Heart Foundation’s 50th anniversary
Áras an Uachtaráin, Tuesday, 7 September 2016
A Dhaoine Uaisle,
Tá fáilte agus fiche romhaibh ar fad anseo chuig Áras an Uachtaráin. Is mór an pléisiúir dom é an deis seo a bheith agam bualadh libh le linn na bliana tábhachtach seo d'Foras Croí na hÉireann.
[You are all most welcome here today to Áras an Úachtaráin. Indeed, it is a particular pleasure to have the opportunity to meet with you during this milestone year for the Irish Heart Foundation.]
It is also, of course, a sad year for the Foundation following the recent death of one of its founder and past President Risteard Mulcahy, who made such a profound contribution to Irish medicine and public health, most especially in the field of cardiology, where he enjoyed an international reputation.
Risteard was committed to the welfare of the public and his tireless enthusiasm for public and preventive health found expression in his extensive campaigning work, and in particular in the founding of the Irish Heart Foundation.
He will be fondly missed by all of us who had the pleasure of knowing him, and I am sure that all those involved with the Irish Heart Foundation feel privileged to be carrying on the important work which Risteard began.
May I say how pleased I am that Risteard is represented here today by his wife Louise. I am also pleased to welcome Frances Blake and Ann Gearty who represent two founders of the Foundation who have also been sadly lost to us in recent years: Professor Sean Blake and Dr Gerry Gearty.
Finally may I say how delighted I am that Professor Conor Ward and Professor Barry O’Donnell have been able to join us, particularly as today marks such a special occasion for Barry. I am sure you all join me in wishing him a very happy 90th birthday, and it is a pleasure to welcome you to Áras an Uachtaráin on this milestone occasion.
In a country where heart disease is our leading cause of death, the expressed vision of the Heart Foundation “that every person living in Ireland will live a long, active and healthy life free from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease” is a very important one indeed.
This year, as you mark your fiftieth anniversary, you have much to look back on with great pride. There can be no doubt that the history of the Foundation is a long and illustrious one. From small beginnings, those days when you operated from a small garden flat in Clyde Road in Ballsbridge, you have quickly grown into the significant and vital organisation which is today known and appreciated across the country.
The Foundation was, in its earlier days, unusual when compared to its international counterparts, in that its activities, in the absence of finance to support research, were confined to health promotion and the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
This work, however, marked the beginning of health campaigns aimed at encouraging healthy living, and coincided with a noticeable improvement in the life expectancy of the Irish population. From its very inception, therefore, the Irish Heart Foundation has played a critical role in the wellbeing of the Irish nation.
The Foundation has continued to evolve, develop and expand, and today you can take great pride in the large and vibrant organisation you have become. Not only do you continue to provide information on heart health to the public, but you also support research, education, training and development as we sustain our battle against cardiovascular disease. Amongst the benefits of this work have been considerable advances in medical care, providing significantly better prospects for many of those diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Indeed, I was delighted to meet with representatives of the Irish Heart and Lung Transplant Association here in the Áras earlier this year, and witnessing the great difference medical advancements have made to the lives of those who have required transplants, but also to their family and friends.
For others living with the after-effects of strokes or trying to manage heart disease, the supports you offer and your advocacy for better patient treatments and services can signify a critical hand of friendship and help at a time of great anxiety and difficulty.
You also, of course, do such valuable work in schools and workplaces, providing heart health programmes aimed at reducing the number of those suffering from heart disease.
The fact that approximately ten thousand people in Ireland die each year from cardiovascular disease should concern us all. It is, indeed, quite shocking to learn that one in four citizens in this country will lose their lives to heart disease or a stroke, and that cardiovascular disease kills more people in Ireland than cancer, suicide and road accidents combined.
These are sobering statistics indeed, reminding us that there can be very few families in Ireland who have not been affected, in one way or another, by heart disease. They are also statistics which underline the continuing importance of the Irish Heart Foundation, and the critical work you do as you work to achieve your vision of a society free from heart disease.
I understand that evidence-based studies have demonstrated that the Irish Heart Foundation has played an important role in halving the rate of deaths from heart disease in the past twenty five years.
Ba cheart daoibh ar fad a bheith bródúil as an méid atá bainte amach agaibh, agus is aitheantas é chomh maith den díograis agus den tiomantas a léirigh gach éinne a d'oibrigh leis an Foras agus a thacaigh leis an Foras ón am a bunaíodh sibh sa bhliain 1966.
[That is an achievement of which you can be very proud indeed, and a tribute to the dedication and commitment of all those who have worked with and supported the Foundation across the decades following its establishment in 1966.]
May I thank you all once again for visiting me here today and wish you every success as you continue with your important work.