Lecarrow’s former Olympian and prominent doctor remembered

A “giant amongst men”, “humble, deeply principled” and a “great Roscommon oarsman” are just a sample of the warm tributes paid to the late Dr Martin Feeley from Lecarrow, who passed away just before Christmas.

He had famously represented Ireland at the Olympics in Montreal back in 1976, rowed at the World Championships, and at the famed Henley Royal Regatta, the home of his most treasured success.

A highly respected vascular surgeon, Dublin-based Dr Feeley also came to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for his outspoken views in relation to the government response.

His opposition to Government policy and what he called “draconian restrictions” particularly on the young was articulated in regular appearances on radio and TV at the time, putting him on a collision course with HSE management and ultimately led to his resignation as Clinical Director of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

He also believed low-risk groups should be exposed to the virus to develop herd immunity and lessen the risk to older, more vulnerable groups.

In his death notice published on rip.ie on Christmas Eve, Martin, formerly of St John's, Roscommon, stalwart of Tallaght University Hospital and University College Dublin Boat Club, was described by his beloved family as “relentless in his pursuit of excellence across all facets of his career and passions, unyielding in defence of his beliefs."

“Martin was known for his unparalleled principles, integrity and honesty. A gentleman who gave it his all, he will be remembered as an exemplary surgeon, colleague, advocate, mentor, athlete, coach and friend. A man who leaves an incredible legacy. He was a gift to us all,” the notice added poignantly. Back in 2021, on the day Ireland claimed its first rowing gold as Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy powered to victory in the lightweight double sculls in Tokyo, Dr Feeley spoke to this paper in very modest terms about his own success.

Growing up in Lecarrow, Martin attended Glanduff National School where his father Hugh was a teacher, his mother Anita (nee Martin) was from nearby St John's. He later went to Marist College, Athlone, where he did his Leaving Cert in 1968. “The Marist had a rowing team when I was there, but I didn't get involved. I had to cycle eleven miles into school and home so there wasn't much time for rowing,” he laughed.

He only took up rowing in his second year in UCD and even at this late stage progressed to an elite level during what he described as an “unbelievable time” with a great bunch of people.

“When I started in UCD, to win at Henley it was just a dream. It was unheard of,” he recalled in that interview, saying he was so fortunate to be part of an amazing crew, the pinnacle of which was winning the unusually named Ladies' Challenge Plate in the Royal regatta in 1974 in the universities competition beating the best of British and European teams of eight.

While he was not keen to talk much about his Olympics experience, believing it was “a disaster” that the coxless four team failed to progress to the final and were overtrained at the time, a report in Westmeath/Offaly Independent of July 23 in 1976 revealed the pride of his father and the family pedigree in rowing.

The report recounted that his father Hugh, then retired from teaching, was an oarsman with Athlone Rowing Club back in the 1930s.

“I am very proud of him and I suppose it is a great honour to represent one's country at any level, but especially in the Olympics where the world's top sportsmen compete,” Hugh Feeley told this paper back in 1976.

While the experience of representing your country was “phenomenal”, the Lecarrow native had very mixed feelings about the Olympics because he returned believing he had let a lot of people down. He conceded, however, it took serious work and commitment to even qualify for the Olympics. “For me, Henley is still my biggest achievement. It was like Leitrim winning the All Ireland Final. UCD had never won it. It's the one I'm most pleased about,” he said of the 1974 triumph, after a punishing schedule of training twice a day along the Liffey at weekends and once a day during the week, something that wasn't really done at the time.

He later studied medicine and became a highly respected vascular surgeon working in the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin and Tallaght among others.

Throughout the conversation in 2021, he describing rowing as like an illness, and to illustrate his point Martin said he was still coaching in UCD Boat Club seven days a week. His tireless dedication was rewarded back in 2017 when the club surprised him with the inaugural 'Graduate of the Year' at UCD Sports Awards to recognise his voluntary work over more than four decades since his own graduation encouraging the next generation of rowing stars.

UCD Boat Club said it was “profoundly shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of our remarkable coach, rower and teammate, Martin Feeley".

Hugely influential both as a rower in 'The Animals' and as a coach, he guided to the club to extraordinary success in recent years, bringing the Men's Senior Eight to victory for four titles in a row from 2019 to 2023.

In his own rowing days, he won three consecutive Men's Senior Eights at the Championships between 1971 and 1973, the Ladies Plate at Henley Royal Regatta in 1974 before representing Ireland at the 1976 Olympics.

Other condolences from medical colleagues, patients and rowing friends on the rip.ie website remembered him as “a man of great courage and honesty” and a gentleman “unafraid to question the consensus” and a “gorgeously humble man who had many talents”. Another from a patient simply thanked him for all the lives he had saved.

Dr Martin Feeley, who was in his mid 70s, was the beloved husband of Colleen, father to his proud children Tara, Iain, Emmett and Aoife, dear brother to Willie, Maura, Jacinta, Benedicta, Hugh and Anita, favourite father-in-law to Dermot and Eibhlin and understatedly devoted grandfather to Lucian, Auberon, Jeremiah and Saileog. Deeply regretted by his brothers and sisters-in-law.

He reposed at at Massey Bros Funeral Home, Templeogue village on December 28 prior to his Funeral Mass the following day in Church of The Three Patrons, Rathgar, followed by cremation in Victorian Chapel, Mount Jerome Crematorium.

May he rest in peace.