Cork doctor chronicles travels and celeb encounters in new book

Dr Patrick Treacy takes us on an extraordinary journey in his new book, a travelogue which details his globe-trotting life.

Called Destinations: Medical Stories From Around The World, it reaches into all four corners of the globe, with a particular emphasis on Africa, Asia, Australia, America, and the Middle East - and its cast of characters includes Michael Jackson and David Bowie!

Patrick is a globally renowned, award-winning physician, who is based at the Ailesbury Clinic in Douglas.

From Co. Fermanagh, he studied medicine at Queen’s University in Belfast and then the Royal College of Surgeons in 1979.

Patrick was the middle child of three brothers and sisters and said: “My dad was a mechanic, and he ran a petrol station and a small grocer store in the small village of Garrison. My parents were devout Catholics.”

In Destinations, Patrick describes the world he grew up in.

“The world I was growing up in began to irrevocably change in 1968 when the newly-formed Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, (NICRA) began a series of peaceful, protest marches against discrimination,” he said. “The IRA blew up a lot of our village.”

Patrick was a target.

“I had my leg broken during the conflict, an assault by Protestant paramilitaries. It happened in 1979 at midnight outside a disco in the students’ union. I moved South. It was safer.”

In the book, Patrick takes us with him on his worldwide- travels. Some destinations happened by choice; others happened by happenstance.

“I drove cars from the UK to Turkey to sell! I carried two or three passports. I hung out with David Bowie in Munich, Brussels and Frankfurt in May, 1983, when I met him through a friend.”

With a career spanning diverse roles across continents, Patrick shares captivating stories of his encounters with vibrant cultures, from bustling cities to remote corners of the world, showing his commitment to healing and learning.

At all times, the author is keen for the reader to get a feeling for some of the diverse cultures and places where he was working.

Did Patrick always have the travel bug?

“I have always wanted to travel, right from the earliest days of primary school when I would take down the atlas from the top of the teacher’s press and trace the winding path of the Trans-Siberian Express from Moscow to Vladivostok,” he says.

“Other times, I would stand by the waters of the mighty Zambezi and watch it flow over the edge of my imaginary Victoria Falls. I would experience the real spirit of Africa. Back then, I dreamt of travel and adventure.”

In the book, Patrick brings his childhood dreams to life.

“If life is about living your childhood dreams, I have long since achieved that ambition and lived those adventures,” he says.

He catalogues many of his adventures in a changing world.

“My adventures occurred at a time of major political transformations, and hence I experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of Communism, and the brutality of the regime of Saddam Hussein.”

Writing Destinations gave Patrick the opportunity to remember many of the people he met throughout his travels. One such person was the late pop star Michael Jackson.

How did he find Michael?

“Michael found me!” replies Patrick.

“He had had a procedure done which went wrong. He came to me to put it right. We became friends.”

Jackson died in 2009 but a fan-driven charity called Michael Jackson’s Legacy (MJL), is carrying out work around the world.

Patrick says: “In June, 2013, MJL started a project, building an orphanage in a Christian village in Mirebalais, Haiti. The building was to be called Everland Haiti, and I was invited there in January, 2014, by Bishop Dorcilien and Dee Pfeiffer from MJL, to open the new building for 30,000 children.”

He adds: “Writing this book has given me a chance to remember so many people both living and dead, and places that I travelled”

Patrick has done a lot of living.

“I have now lived through three global pandemics, some which changed my life, others have left me with sadness and regrets.

“History shows us that these pandemics often change the world for the better by shining a light on what is broken in society and possibly how to fix it.

“Since the HIV/AIDS pandemic started, I have visited most of the nations of central and eastern Africa in a humanitarian role, and this is reflected in my travels.”

Destinations can give the reader cause for reflection.

“This is not just a journey across continents; it’s a journey within, towards a greater understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of the world we share,” says Patrick.

“It’s an invitation to look beyond the stereotype, to challenge misconceptions, and to celebrate the vast, vibrant spectrum of discovery.

“These past years have been important to me, bringing me many accolades and awards for contributions to aesthetic medicine and others related to my research into wound healing.”

Patrick extends an invitation to readers who wish to explore a journey into humanity’s rich tapestry.

“Pack your bags, bring along your sense of wonder, and let’s set forth on this incredible adventure,” he says.

“For every step we take into the unknown, we come a step closer to understanding ourselves and the world we inhabit.”

Patrick ultimately hopes his book will inspire a life-long passion for discovery, a deeper appreciation for the diversity of our world, and an enduring curiosity for the many untold stories that await us in the hidden corners of our remarkable world.

Patrick recalls one unforgettable incident in particular from his travels..

“In the course of my humanitarian work in Haiti, after the earthquake in 2021, I witnessed a child in a camp who had been pulled from the rubble days after everyone assumed there were no survivors,” he recalls.

“She had fractures, burns, and deep wounds - yet she smiled every time someone entered the room.

“I remember thinking, if she can smile after this, none of us have any excuses. Moments like that stay with you.”

Destinations: Medical Stories From Around The World, by Patrick Treacy, Olympia Publishers, is available in all good book shops, €37.99.