Morgan McElligott (21 June 1925 – 16 February 2016) was an Irish

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

and

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular hear ...

. He competed in the men's eight event at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Biography

McElligott was born in Rathdown, Dublin in 1925. He gained a medical degree while studying at the

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

. In 1948, he was part of the team that won the All-Ireland Senior Rowing Championship. At the

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, McElligott was part of the Irish team that competed in the men's eight. Two years after the Olympics, he started his medical career in Dublin, and moved to London three years after that. After six years later, McElligott returned to Ireland, becoming a consultant at Portiuncula Hospital. He spent more than three decades working at the hospital, where he worked in cardiology and helped to found the very first cardiac care unit in Portiuncula. In 1989, McElligott left Portiuncula and went to

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...

with his wife, with both of them developing the Ibn Al-Bitar Hospital. Due to the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, they both left Iraq, moving to

Tabuk, Saudi Arabia Tabuk ( ar, تَبُوْك '), also spelled ''Tabouk'', is the capital city of the Tabuk Region in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 667,000 (as of 2021). It is close to the Jordanian–Saudi Arabia border, and houses the largest a ...

. In Saudi Arabia he was the chief of internal medicine for the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

. After nearly two years in Saudi Arabia, he retired and returned to Ireland with his wife. In 2012, McElligott was one of the eleven surviving members of Ireland's 1948 Summer Olympics team, who were all honoured at a ceremony in Dublin.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McElligott, Morgan 1925 births 2016 deaths Irish male rowers Olympic rowers for Ireland Rowers at the 1948 Summer Olympics 20th-century Irish people