Austin Darragh (27 April 1927 – 4 October 2015) was an Irish medical practitioner, entrepreneur, broadcaster and writer. He is notable for being the sole founder of the

Irish Cancer Society The Irish Cancer Society (formerly known as the Conquer Cancer Campaign) is the national charity in the Republic of Ireland dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem, and improving the lives of those who have cancer. History Fo ...

in 1963, and being the radio doctor on The Gay Byrne Show.

Early life and history

Darragh was born on to a teaching father, and he spent most of his childhood life in the

Terenure Terenure (), originally called ''Roundtown'', is an affluent, middle class suburb of Dublin in Ireland. It is located in the city's D6W postcode area. Location and transport Terenure lies primarily in the administrative area of Dublin City ...

residential area of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. He was educated at the

Catholic University School Catholic University School ''(C.U.S.)'' is a private (voluntary) secondary school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1867 by Bartholomew Woodlock as a preparatory school for the Catholic University of Ireland, the predece ...

Leeson Street __NOTOC__ Leeson Street (; ) is a thoroughfare near central Dublin, Ireland. Location The street is divided into two parts by the Grand Canal: Lower Leeson Street, in Dublin 2 is to the north of the canal, linking to St Stephen's Green, with ...

, Dublin and graduated from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

in 1954. He met Marie Therese "Terry" Roddy while studying in college, they married in 1950 and had five children. In 1992, Roddy died from cancer. Darragh was also a professor in the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

for a number of years focussing on biomass. He married Anna Longdon in 1998, and was married to her until his death late 2015.

1987 kidnapping ordeal

In 1987, Darragh's son-in-law John O'Grady, who was a dentist, was kidnapped by

Dessie O'Hare Dessie O'Hare (born 26 October 1956), also known as "The Border Fox", is an Irish republican paramilitary who was once the most wanted man in Ireland. O'Hare was originally in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) but left in the late 19 ...

's gang. The gang had intended to seize Austin himself, but Darragh had moved three years previously from the house, which was occupied by O'Grady. Due to O'Hare demanding a ransom of IR£1.5m and not getting it, O'Hare chopped O'Grady's

pinky finger The little finger, or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger. Etymology The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''pi ...

on each hand with a hammer and chisel.

Death

Darragh died at his home, ''Tara Beg'' located near the

Hill of Tara The Hill of Tara ( ga, Teamhair or ) is a hill and ancient ceremonial and burial site near Skryne in County Meath, Ireland. Tradition identifies the hill as the inauguration place and seat of the High Kings of Ireland; it also appears in I ...

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the ...

, on , aged 88. He was buried in a plot at Rathfeigh Cemetery where his son and wife are also buried near his residence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darragh, Austin Irish general practitioners 1927 births 2015 deaths Irish obstetricians Medical doctors from County Dublin