Young County Roscommon man remembered at service honouring organ donors
Eileen and Seamus Barry from Boyle bring candles to the altar at the Irish Kidney Association's 39th annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving. Pic: Conor McCabe Photography
A young Boyle man who passed away at the age of 22 was remembered at the Irish Kidney Association’s 39th annual Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving in Dublin.
An estimated 1,600 people from across Ireland and beyond, including hundreds of families of deceased donors and transplant recipients, attended at the Church of the Holy Child, Whitehall, Dublin 9 for the unique service.
Eileen and Seamus Barry from Boyle brought candles to the altar. Their son, Shane, was just 22 years old when he passed away over three decades ago and they have attended the Service of Remembrance almost every year since.
“The service is an important annual event on the calendar for many families of organ donors, many of whom make it a priority to attend every year. It serves as a meaningful opportunity to remember their loved ones and honour the gift of life their donations have provided to others,” said a spokesperson for the organisers.
“It is an important occasion for remembering deceased loved ones who have in their death given the gift of life to others. It's an opportunity for grateful transplant recipients, their families and the wider organ donation and transplant community including Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, organ donor coordinators and transplant coordinators, and other healthcare professionals, to give thanks and pay tribute to organ donors for their precious gifts of life,” added the spokesperson.
The opening procession included fourth generation firefighter Ger Dolan in uniform, from Claddagh in Galway and stationed at Anglesea Fire Station in Cork city. Ger donated a kidney to his brother Jimmy in 2017 three months before his 18-year-old cousin Orla tragically died and her family selflessly donated her organs saving four lives. Orla’s mother (Ger’s aunt) Dolores travelled from Cross, in County Mayo to participate in the service by carrying the Book of Remembrance, the roll of honour in which Orla’s and other organ donors’ names are inscribed, to the altar.
Following the service, organ donor families viewed the name of their deceased donor loved one inscribed in the Book of Remembrance.
