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Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Health
- Irish Times
‘They saved my life': Trinity St James's Cancer Institute is recognised for care, research and education
Dubliner Niamh Walsh was working as a cook in a creche in April last year when she noticed her left leg was about 4cm wider than her right one. She had no other symptoms and when her GP referred her to the city's St James's Hospital she did not think anything was wrong. Following an ultrasound, she was told she had a mass of around 28cm in her pelvic area. Ms Walsh was diagnosed with ependymoma of the ovary – an extremely rare type of ovarian tumour. READ MORE She underwent an eight-hour open surgery, chemotherapy and, 11 weeks ago, had a preventive hysterectomy, in which her uterus was removed to reduce the chance of the cancer returning. 'I'm an only child, so this was a really big time for my parents being told out of the blue last year that their daughter has a really rare form of cancer that requires extreme operations and chemo after,' Ms Walsh (30) said. The diagnosis was a shock to her, too, she said. She is now trying to process everything she's been through over the past year. 'Still to this day, I cry about it,' she says. 'If I hadn't had that hysterectomy I could have heard it was back in the other ovary. I'm a very anxious person and the last thing I wanted was to be told the cancer was back.' On Wednesday, the Trinity St James's Cancer Institute (TSJCI) announced it has become the first cancer unit in Ireland to be accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre – a specialised institution recognised for advanced research and a broad range of cancer services. The Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI) decided the Dublin base met or exceeded robust standards in cancer care, research and education. Prof Maeve Lowery, academic director of the TSJCI, said this designation would allow the hospital to bring improvements in patient-centred care. 'This carries an international weight. So it's about international benchmarking recognised across Europe and the US that shows certain standards of integration of academic activities like research, education, with clinical care. The real goal of it is to achieve more treatment options, better treatment options for patients,' she said. Prof Lowery said the hope was this designation would provide greater access for patients to novel treatments and clinical trials, an area in which Ireland had traditionally been viewed as lagging behind. 'It's the big issue within Ireland at the moment, there's a lot of disparity. The patients we treat here – we're a public hospital – and our patients are among the lowest socio-economic in the country. So it's really important that in the public system we're providing the best we can in terms of novel treatment,' she said. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the announcement marks a 'significant advancement' in cancer care for Ireland. 'Comprehensive cancer centres like TSJCI bring an additional focus on research and training which can expand the treatment options available for patients now and into the future,' she said. This is particularly true for patients such as Ms Walsh, who have rarer forms of cancer and for whom the diagnosis can feel devastating. If it were not for the kindness from the team of clinicians who treated her, Ms Walsh said she 'wouldn't have gotten through it'. 'My type of cancer, if I hadn't have had that operation when I did, it would have spread. This hospital saved my life,' she said. 'After this whole thing, I'm seeing a different side to myself. I used to be a very shy person, but now I'm trying to get out there. I'm trying to just enjoy life, because you've got to enjoy it while we can.'
Irish Independent
24-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
New Paddy Doherty projects will increase his hospitality investment to €13m
It includes his latest acquisition, McGrory's Hotel, in his native Inishowen for around €1m. That hotel has 17 bedrooms and, with a further two houses in nearby Malin Head, he plans to cater for 60 high-end tourists per night in Inishowen. The Irish Times reported that his Doherty Hospitality Group has agreed a deal to purchase the Queens in Dalkey for about €3.4m. Queens comes with planning permission for a 30-bedroom guesthouse. It follows his purchase last year of The Greedy Eagle gastro pub in nearby Glasthule village for around €4m from the Loyola Group. Doherty founded Electro Automation Group which provides tolling services at Dublin Port Tunnel and is best known for its 'easy trip' road-tolling services. It also owns automation businesses in the UK and Germany. Joint agents BDM Property and TDL Horizons handled the sale of McGrory's Hotel in Culdaff, Co Donegal, not far from Doherty's home town of Carndonagh. Although Culdaff has a population of just 200 people, it is popular with holiday makers because of its blue flag beach. Being on the north-eastern side of the peninsula, it is relatively sheltered from the wildest aspects of the Atlantic. The picturesque plantation village is built on an ancient monastic site. It is 45 minutes from Derry city and a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Dublin Airport. Niamh Walsh of TDL describes McGrory's as being quintessentially Donegal. A native of the county herself, she says 'once you walk in there you known you are in Donegal'. The hotel comprises 17 guest bedrooms, bar, restaurant and the Backroom, which is renowned as a live-music venue. In early 2024, the hotel underwent an extensive refurbishment programme, including room upgrades and the installation of new catering kitchen and bar equipment. The deal also included a car park across the road from the hotel. A family-owned establishment for over four generations, in 2024 it celebrated its centenary year. Inishowen is Ireland's largest peninsula with a 100-mile coastline and is renowned for its dramatic landscapes. Culdaff is a short drive from Ireland's most northerly point at Malin Head.
