Cavanman Cathal Magee lands state's top health job

There is undoubted pride in the parish of Kill and indeed the wider county at the appointment of Cathal Magee as chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) in succession to Professor Brendan Drumm. From September, Mr. Magee (56) will take charge of the State's health services, unmistakably one of the most difficult jobs in the country at the present time. With his proven leadership roles in banking and company management, the Co. Cavan native is regarded as well-qualified for the task that lies ahead of him as head of the HSE. A former acting chief executive of Eircom and holder of other senior management portfolios within the company, Mr. Magee was one of a small number of people with top management credentials who were head hunted for the HSE post. Notwithstanding his elevated status in the business and banking fields, the Kill man is not unfamiliar with the health sector having worked with the former North Western Health Board as a young man. Cathal Magee's family have deep roots in the parish of Kill stretching back half a century. Born in Holborn Hill, Belturbet, the family moved to Corgreagh, Kill in 1963 and with his other siblings attended the local primary school in Kill before moving on to St. Patrick's College, Cavan, where he was a boarder for five years. After that, the new HSE chief executive achieved a first class honours degree in Management from the IMI and a MSc in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College. He is currently a non-executive director of VHI Healthcare and the EBS Building Society. Cathal Magee is proud of his Co. Cavan roots and recently chaired a high level economic forum in the county to help stimulate new investment here. The sense of pride in the fact that a local man has been chosen for one of the most daunting jobs in the State is very evident in his native parish. At masses on Sunday, Father Gerry Comiskey, CC, Kill, congratulated Cathal Magee on his appointment and wished him well in his new and onerous job. Responding to The Anglo-Celt, Fr. Comiskey said that the new chief executive of the HSE was held in very high regard in the parish. "Despite his very busy life, he has kept in close contact with his family and close circle of friends in Kill. He is supportive of everything that is good in the parish and obviously there is great delight that a son of the parish has been given this very challenging task and we all admire his courage," says Fr. Comiskey. Cathal Magee's brother, Malachy and sister Aileen Ward continue to live in the parish of Kill. Another brother Kevin resides in Cootehill. The new HSE chief is a strong supporter of Kill GFC having been quite a talented footballer with Kill Shamrocks in his youth. The HSE confirmed that Mr. Magee will be paid a salary of €322,000, approximately the same as outgoing CEO Professor Drumm. It is well short of the salary that he would have commanded as a senior executive director at Eircom. Expressing her delight that Mr. Magee had agreed to take up the HSE post, Minister for Health, Mary Harney, said that he brought a track record of top-class management and organisational leadership to the health services. "He has shown total commitment to people and team building in his management roles throughout his career and I have no doubt that this will be of great benefit to the combined clinical and management leadership of the HSE," she said. Cathal Magee lives with his American-born wife, Rosaleen and their family in Co. Wicklow. Rosaleen's parents hailed from Keshcarrigan, Co. Leitrim. The couple have two sons and two daughters. The new chief executive of the HSE has one of the most challenging jobs here in Ireland at this time. However, he has proven experience having been principally involved in a major rationalisation programme at Eircom. In total he spent 15 years at Eircom after being headhunted by Alfie Kane from National Australia Bank in the UK to lead the restructuring of the company as it prepared for flotation. As he takes up the role as effective head of the Irish Health Service his every move and action will be scrutinised. The people of Cavan wish him every success in this hugely important role. If he can pull it off, he will be lauded as a saviour.