'It gives us real solace': Brother of murder victim whose organs saved lives urges others to become donors
The brother of Cian Gallagher who died after an unprovoked assault in 2022 said he always helped people and donating his organs was a 'really lovely' way to continue that.
Mr Gallagher was just 26 when he died after being attacked in Tallow, Waterford. His attacker later received the mandatory sentence of life in prison for murder.
'Cian was always helping people, that's who he was,' his brother Shane said at the launch of organ donor awareness week on Tuesday.
'So from tragic circumstances, it's fitting that his last act was to go on to help people, to save three people's lives and to improve their lives as well.'
He described how people shared stories with the family, saying: 'There were a few nice stories that we didn't even know about, they came out online after he died".
Heart transplant recipient Nick Hines from Clonaslee, Co Laois, with his mother Annie, wife Tracey, and daughter Molly at Organ Donor Awareness Week 2025.
Cian died in Cork University Hospital. 'We just wanted Cian to get better, but when we knew he wasn't, it was a fairly easy decision for us, we said 'yes, we're doing this',' he said.
He urged everyone to learn about organ donation.
'It 100% helped us, it gives us real solace, and if we're feeling down we can take a step back and say 'Cian did help people',' he said.
'Many people spend their whole lives and they don't help as much as Cian did with one act.'
They received a letter from one recipient, and he said: 'It was lovely, it was really lovely, it really changed that person's life.'
Some people who received organs spoke at the event.
Nick Hines, from Minnesota, has lived in Ireland for over 20 years with his Irish wife and family.
'Time is funny, 22 years seems plenty in some respects but when you're told your time is up, it seems like a flash,' he said.
I'm here because I received a heart from an organ donor.
This was 'a remarkable gift', he said. It followed him collapsing from an asymptomatic heart condition. He was listed for a transplant as he became ever more ill.
'I lived for three years with the knowledge the rug could be pulled at a moment's notice, each night I would assess my day in detail while trying to sleep and consider the implications of not waking up,' he said.
Avril Whitty from Clearinstown, near Wexford town, who underwent a liver transplant, with her husband Justin Whitty and their two children Alicia, 19, and Cora, 10. Picture: Conor McCabe Photography
Mr Hines became emotional as he thanked his donor and healthcare workers, saying: 'Now when I have a day that's good, I can thank my donor for the joy.'
The event is hosted by the Irish Kidney Association, which urged everyone to discuss becoming a donor with their families.
Dr Brian O'Brien, clinical director of organ donation transplant Ireland with the HSE, said: 'Organ donation, a gesture of kindness to strangers made in the bleakest of circumstances, encapsulates much of what is good about humanity.
"Under forthcoming legislation, living donation will become more feasible in Ireland.'
Last year 263 organ transplants were carried out due to 84 deceased donors and 30 living kidney donors.
The transplants included 175 kidney transplants, 53 liver transplants, 16 heart transplants, 15 lung transplants and four pancreas transplants.
Information on how to become a donor can be found here.
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