Dr Connolly retires after over thirty years service

As he looked back on his career last week, Dr Kevin Connolly said he was "very privileged" to have spent over thirty years working at Ballinasloe's Portiuncula Hospital. "I think it was Mark Twain who said 'Find a job that you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.' That was certainly true in my case," he stated. Hired as the hospital's first-ever consultant paediatrician in 1978, Dr Connolly served in the role until his retirement last week. During his last day on the job (Friday) former patients, their families and staff gathered in the children's ward for an 'Open Day' in recognition of the service he had given. A well-known figure in the midlands, Dr Connolly was widely respected and admired for the skill, wisdom and sense of humour he brought to his work. A colleague at Portiuncula, Dr John Barton, said he will be greatly missed. "He was a wonderful colleague who was so helpful in every way. He was such a dedicated person and, with his sense of humour, he could always bring a sense of levity to serious discussions," said Dr Barton. Originally from Dublin, Dr Connolly joked last week that he had been living in Ballinasloe for so long he was now "an honourary culchie". Despite not being from the area, he has a long-standing family connection to Portiuncula: the first baby to be born at the hospital in 1943 was his first cousin. When he applied for the role consultant paediatrician there he didn't expect to be offered the role. "I was seven years qualified at the time and when the job came up I applied because I wanted to get interview experience," he said. The successful application meant he would be based at the new paediatric unit which opened in September 1978. He was the hospital's only consultant paediatrician for the next eight years, before being joined by Dr Margaret Gallagher, who retired six years ago. "Margaret and I worked together for 18 years and in all that time we didn't have one decent row," he said. In recent years he has worked alongside Dr Regina Cooke and Dr Pauric Curran. Reflecting on his time at the hospital, he said: "I loved Monday mornings. Portiuncula was a remarkably friendly place in which to work. The ethos here is caring and that ethos permeates all areas of the hospital. "I had some great times with my colleagues and with the children, and if I was starting tomorrow I'd do it all over again." He said there were "a lot of challenges" over the years but these made the job enjoyable. "When I came here we had a greenfield site and I was able to help it develop into the unit that is now," he said. "There were 'down days' of course. Days when children came in with serious illnesses. Days when children died. But I think all people in hospitals should provide pastoral care. Death is a part of life and we have to learn to cope with that." Dealing with the HSE also presented challenges, as he felt its abundance of protocols, guidelines, committees and reports could sometimes have the effect of stopping people from "using their common sense or thinking outside the box" in order to resolve challenging situations. "At times I wonder are the HSE working to a completely different agenda than those of us who are on the front line," he said. Asked to identify some of the main changes which occurred during his career, he replied: "One is the improvement in children's health as a result of education, improved social conditions and vaccines. "There was the realisation by doctors that they need to properly communicate with people. Also, there was the increase in bureaucracy." Another change he identified was improved working conditions for doctors. He pointed out that when he started at the hospital he was always on call and, for his first eight years there, he worked five out of every six weekends. However, he always received "great support" from the parents and families of patients, and he praised the input of groups like the Friends of the Special Care Baby Unit, based in Athlone, which was responsible for installing en suite rooms to allow parents of seriously ill children room with them. Staff at the hospital worked as a team, Dr Connolly said. "There was very little turnover of nurses, so we got to know each other quite well. "We all had the same aim, which was to try and provide the best care possible to children and their families. I'm sure we didn't always get it right but we tried to follow the golden rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He added that he might have aggravated some people at times but that if this happened it was with the best interest of patients in mind. Looking ahead, he stated that some 50% of his time will now be devoted to his roles as a member of the European Paediatric Drug Committee and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee. In addition he enjoys jogging, cycling and reading. "I'm excited about the future, the challenge of starting a new life," he said. "One thing for certain is I won't be sitting around watching television."