Leading figure in Irish medicine who specialised in nursing ethics and had a lasting impact on the treatment of patients
Aprominent figure in the medical world, Dr Catherine O’Neill, who has died at the age of 74, initially qualified as a nurse and went on to become a leading academic in the health sector with a speciality in nursing ethics.
She was born Catherine Sarah Gallagher on December 12, 1949, the eldest of five children in a family living in Longford town. Their father Charlie was originally from Killybegs, Co Donegal, and his wife Bridie came from Co Offaly.
Charlie Gallagher had a wide and varied career, working in the civil service, the cinema business, greyhound racing and on the local newspaper, the Longford Leader.
Catherine Gallagher attended St Joseph’s National School before moving on to secondary level at the Meán Scoil Mhuire Convent of Mercy in Longford. She trained as a general nurse in the Richmond Hospital, Dublin, and in 1971 married Henry O’Neill, who managed The Lucan Inn, a pub in west Dublin owned by the O’Neill family.
The couple went on to have four children, and opened a restaurant in Lucan called Henri’s in 1979 that specialised in traditional French cuisine.
When the business closed in 1985, Henry took up a position as the first chief executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) and Catherine worked as a relief public health nurse in Dublin before going to UCD where she developed a more academic side to her career, achieving a BA, MA and Master’s of Social Sciences degrees as well as a PhD at the school of sociology, where the subject of her doctoral thesis was ethical decision-making in the care of the elderly in hospital.
She was also awarded a fellowship of the faculty of nursing and midwifery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
Dr O’Neill held a senior lecturer post at the RCSI school of postgraduate studies in Bahrain and was director of the MSc nursing and midwifery programme on the Dublin campus. She previously lectured at UCD, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University.
The areas she specialised in were the philosophy and sociology of healthcare, with a particular emphasis on ethics. She taught these topics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels to nurses as well as medical doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and radiologists.
She was actively involved in a research consortium that produced an ethical framework for end-of-life care in 2010, setting out an approach that has been followed by hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout the State.
She was also a representative of the general public on the Speech and Language Therapists Registration Board; a member of the RCSI Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Board, Dublin (2015-2019); served on various advisory committees to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI); and was actively involved in the review of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives in Ireland (2014).
Her projects and publications included updating the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives (2020) and an evaluation in 2019 of the CLIMB (Children’s Lives Include Moments of Bravery) programme to help children aged five to 12 cope with the stress of having a family member diagnosed with cancer.
She also took part in a review of the European Code of Conduct and Ethics for European Nurses (2017).
Her work in healthcare education and research in the third-level sector covered 22 years from 1993 to 2015 and she remained professionally involved afterwards as a research and educational consultant.
At the invitation of the family, Jonathan
Drennan, professor of nursing at UCD, spoke at her funeral mass about his long-time colleague and friend and her “tremendous impact on nursing” both in Ireland and overseas.
“Catherine was a remarkable individual whose influence has left an indelible mark on the field of nursing, ethics, law and beyond,” he said.
He described her doctoral thesis, completed at UCD in 2011, as “groundbreaking in understanding ethical decision-making and care of older persons in hospitals by bringing together the fields of bioethics and sociology. The findings have had a far-reaching impact on how patients are now involved in decision-making and ensuring the human aspects of care and patients and family voices are central to the delivery of healthcare in hospitals”.
He added: “The importance of Catherine’s family in her doctoral work was evident and, to quote Catherine herself, ‘Sarah and Carla advised, cajoled, entertained and lectured me at various stages of my study. Shane and Vinnie offered support in their own unique ways: Vinnie in the early days transcribed interviews, and Shane advised on keeping the body fit in order to reach the finishing line’.
“Henry, I know, as Catherine said, you had to tolerate the curtailment of social life and incessant piles of books, journal articles and writing drafts in your home over many years: a thesis born of love and a truly family affair.
“I know at first hand that Catherine was an innovative educator for countless healthcare professionals, instilling in them the values of compassion, integrity and ethical practice. Catherine’s dedication to the principles of nursing ethics was there for all to see and her passion for teaching was contagious.
“Through her lectures, Catherine has inspired generations of nurses and other healthcare professionals, not only to provide exceptional care, but to do so with a profound sense of moral responsibility.
“She possessed the rare gift of inspiring others to embrace the principles of ethical practice. Catherine’s ability to bring together both the science and art of nursing — and Catherine truly knew the arts — was truly unique and well ahead of her time. Catherine was truly empathetic and encouraged her students to always prioritise the well-being of those under their care.
“Catherine was a mentor and friend to many, and as an academic possessed the rare combination of intellect and empathy, making her not only an exceptional educator, but also a beloved confidante, adviser, collegial collaborator and, above all, a dear friend to many.”
In a tribute on RIP.ie, Aisling Culhane, of the Psychiatric Nurses Association, described Dr O’Neill as “a lovely lady, great teacher and a truly authentic person”.
Marie Carney, from the RCSI, said: “She was a dear friend, kind and thoughtful and a wonderful teacher to her many students.”
Dr Catherine O’Neill passed away peacefully on March 29 at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, surrounded by her loving family.
She will be greatly missed by her husband Henry, children Sarah, Shane, Vinnie and Carla, sisters Marie and Bernie, brothers James and Charles, sons-in-law Tom and Shane, daughters-in-law Orla and Melanie, grandchildren Ryan, Henry, Lucy, Sebastian, Euan, Luca and Fleur, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family and many friends.
Her funeral mass took place last Tuesday at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook, and was followed by removal to St James’s Church, Glenbeigh, Co Kerry — a regular location for O’Neill family holidays — for a blessing followed by burial in Ballinakilla Cemetery.