Stage set for Dr Igoe's farewell

A night of appreciation was held for Dr Igoe in The Ramor Theatre on Friday night (October 31) where locals paid tribute to the Virginia doctor through poetry and song.

In turn, Dr Garrett Igoe also recited some of his own work, a fitting show of appreciation to his patients and the entire community of Virginia who inspired much of his work.

Proceeds on the night amounting to €2900 went towards the Virginia Cancer Fund and the Virginia Community First Responder group, with each receiving a sum of €1450.

The now retired GP initially entertained the idea of becoming a writer, perhaps a journalist, however his mother’s side of the family are in the medical sector and he decided this path would be “more straightforward”.

Originally from Dublin, Dr Igoe took an alternative route to his practice. First graduating in UCD in 1982, he worked in hospitals and then left for England to train in general practice. In those days, 1986/87 it was “very hard” to get work as a GP, and Dr Igoe went to Wales where he worked for six years.

In 1992, Dr Igoe returned to Ireland for a ten-year class reunion, where former classmate Paddy Halligan from Bailieborough told him the GP in Virginia, the late Father Noel Boylan, was becoming a priest and there was a long-term position available.

“At that stage I had bought a house in Wales, we’d had a child, I had bought 20% of the practice premises. I was quite established in it and it was a very well-organised practice.

“It was one of these do it now or never do it kind of moments so I decided home is home and I came back.”

Dr Igoe returned to his home country and settled in Virginia, a “quiet town” 32 years ago.

“Without exaggeration the population quadrupled in my time in Virginia,” he observed.

The practice became the pilot for the primary care strategy in the North East of the country, which saw more partners and nurses come through the doors.

“The practice took off then and it coincided with the whole population increasing.”

He remembers it as a “busy busy” practice.

“It’s a problem everywhere in general practice in Ireland that we don’t have enough GPs to fulfil the demand and that’s been the case. We could do with another practice in Virginia the size of the town,” he believes.

One massive difference between his time working in hospitals and as a GP is that he was with his patients through all of life’s “good times and bad times.”

“If somebody becomes chronically ill you are on the journey with them. If they get a terminal illness you are with them through palliative care and with the relatives through bereavement. Everyone gets hardship in their life and it’s when you’re with the person through that, that you form very close bonds.

“General practice is very unique that way, it’s a very privileged place to be, to share the journey with the people. They become your friends.”

That sense of friendship and community was felt on Friday evening in The Ramor Theatre.

Despite deciding against a career in writing, Dr Igoe pursued the hobby in his spare time and was a member of Lit Lab in Bailieborough. Upon retirement in June, a member of the community had given him a call to ask how they could mark his retirement. A little apprehensive, Dr Igoe thought of his writing which focused on his time in the medical sector, and how it would be fitting to share his work and how the experiences he has had with patients have affected his life.

“I thought that was the nicest way to show the community my point of view and to say thank you for that privilege. That was the idea behind it,” he outlined.

“In some ways, I thought afterwards it was very self-indulgent taking over the theatre for a whole night to talk about poems about yourself,” he laughs, half joking, half not.

So much was his worry that he had even gone to Theatre Manager Padraic McIntyre to ask ‘Is this notion crazy?’

“He [Padraic] said, ‘No, it’s fantastic... if we can’t do this for you, we’re a community theatre, what are we about?’” Padraic had assured him.

With that, the night went ahead and was a great success. He now believes he was “pushing an open door” with several musicians and writers sharing their work, including locals and other doctors who worked in Virginia and also did some reflective writing. Jim McPartland curated the music and also took part with two songs, one of which was ‘Here’s a Health to the Company’ which the doctor commented was “very nice” to round off the night.

“We may or may not be here together again and this constellation, it was a nice way to end it up.”

“There was such a huge feeling of warmth towards me and it was very moving and touching, the community were so warm.”

Learning the German language, writing, and to-ing and fro-ing between Vienna where his wife lived for 30 years, are on the agenda for retirement.

Now retired, he gave his words of advice for those starting out in the practice:

“Listen to the patient and then listen again, that’s the real key to it.”

As a final word, Dr Igoe said: “I am very grateful to the community for the warm reception they gave me and just for the privilege of being their GP here.

“I am not saying goodbye to them, but I’ll be seeing them in a more relaxed setting now.”