Dr. Noel Browne: His compassion and sincerity remembered in Mayo

THE number of people in Ireland who died from coronavirus over a 26-month period is estimated to be 11,000.

The number of people who died from tuberculosis in Ireland between 1921 and 1950 reached 114,000.

The population of Ireland in those years was three million. Today the population of our country is about five million.

When Dr. Noel Browne, a man with strong Ballinrobe connections, became Minister for Health in 1948 he led a vigorous campaign which finally conquered tuberculosis, known in former years as ‘The Decline’ and consumption.

Both Dr. Browne’s parents died of tuberculosis when he was a boy. His mother was buried in a pauper’s grave.

Tuberculosis also claimed the lives of his infant sister, Annie, and his adult sisters, Eileen and Una. Dr. Browne’s brother Jody also died from tuberculosis and is buried in an unmarked grave in London; Dr. Browne suffered from tuberculosis in both lungs but fully recovered.

When Dr. Browne introduced the mother and child scheme, designed to help expectant mothers and their babies, he was savagely attacked by the hierarchy and deserted by his fellow politicians.

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Browne on a number of occasions and was struck by his humility, honesty and his immense love for the poor and downtrodden.

He was a man of intense sincerity who will be remembered when many other politicians are long forgotten. It is twenty-five years since Dr. Browne died.

Labour Party supporters in Mayo erected a plaque on a house in Hollymount where he lived for some time. Dr. Browne was present at the ceremony to unveil the plaque.

He made a point of speaking to a couple who were present at the unveiling ceremony with their special needs daughter.

Dr. Browne gently patted the young girl on the head and said to her, “It’s a privilege to meet you.”

It was a touching moment for the parents and a true reflection of Dr. Browne’s compassion and sincerity.