Cork publican's health scare before last year's All-Ireland led to life-saving operation

A visit to the doctor the Friday before last year’s All-Ireland hurling final caused Cork publican Michael O’Donovan to miss the match — but he is alive to go to final this year thanks to that visit, and the subsequent hospital scan which led to the discovery of a serious health condition.

The Castle Inn owner, who is also the president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, visited his doctor, Michelle Dillon at the Curraheen Clinic, as he had been ill during a recent holiday in the US. He had, in fact, collapsed twice due to fits of coughing.

Speaking to PJ Coogan’s Opinion Line show on 96 FM on Friday, Mr O’Donovan described a hectic weekend he had planned as he and his wife, Clodagh, were to attend a number of All-Ireland related events. The former Barrs hurler was planning to meet with his team-mates to chat about the match prospects and had tickets booked for the pre-match Cork jubilee team banquet also.

His doctor, however, had other ideas. She booked him in for a scan that afternoon and after the consultant, Mr O’Leary, saw the results of that, he said Michael would need an urgent operation to treat a leaking bowel, a condition which, if untreated, could have had dire consequences.

He was operated on the next day and, on Sunday, when he would have been in Croke Park watching Cork and Clare, he was in the ICU on a morphine machine. His wife and daughter brought in a screen to the end of his bed so he could watch the match, but every time the morphine machine gave him a dose, he drifted off to sleep. 

“I have no memory of that match,” he said, speaking to The Echo. “It’s funny the way life throws things at you.”

It’s been a long year, and Michael had to undergo several surgeries — the latest of which was last month — but now he’s on the mend and very grateful to all those who cared for him during his illness.

The series of operations he had led to lifestyle changes in terms of when he eats, as well as 5k walks near his home. But all of that notwithstanding, he’s looking forward to Sunday’s match and surrounding events and, who knows, a bit of a celebration on Monday if the result goes the right way.