On September 10, 1985, the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Phibsborough, Dublin, performs Ireland’s first heart transplant, marking a landmark moment in Irish medicine. The pioneering operation is carried out by Dr. Maurice Neligan and Professor Freddie Wood, who recognise the need to bring this life-saving procedure to Ireland at a time when heart transplantation is still in its infancy and available only in a handful of global centres.

The transplant is a bold step, as the long-term survival of such patients is unknown. The Mater’s National Centre for Heart and Lung Transplants has since performed 447 life-saving heart transplants, transforming the lives of nearly 500 patients. The success of the first case lays the foundation for a programme that has endured for four decades and remains Ireland’s national heart transplant centre.

One of the earliest recipients is Andy Kavanagh of Coolock, Dublin, who undergoes his transplant in 1986 at the age of 19 after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a condition that weakens the heart muscle. What began as a flu-like illness rapidly deteriorates, leaving him with little chance of survival. His donor, David Russell, dies in 1986 after being struck by a drunk driver. Today, Kavanagh is one of the longest-surviving heart transplant patients in the world, living a full, active life and raising his grandchildren.

The Mater’s transplant programme has evolved over the years, introducing advanced therapies such as durable left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) in 2009 and specialist care for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in severe heart or lung failure. These innovations have expanded treatment options for patients with advanced heart disease.

The 1985 surgery is not just a medical milestone — it is a testament to the courage of organ donors and their families, whose generosity has made modern transplantation possible. As Professor Emer Joyce notes, “For many patients, organ donation is their only hope.”

Today, the Mater continues to celebrate this historic day, honouring the pioneering surgeons and the patients whose lives have been transformed by one of Ireland’s most significant medical achievements.

(Pictured: Freddie Wood (left) with the late Eoin O’Malley and Ita Green help perform the first heart transplant surgery in Ireland on September 10, 1985)