Cork GAA hosts first blood donation clinic at the Páirc

Marguerite Kiely

In a significant show of support, Cork GAA has backed blood donation this week. The Irish Blood Transfusion Service organised a clinic at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, marking the first time such an event has been held at the venue.

With Blood Donor Day on Wednesday 14 June, sports stars such as Cork footballer Brian Hayes and Tanáiste Michael Martin backed the campaign to ‘keep Cork beating’.

Donor Services Manager at Irish Blood Transfusion Service Julianne Kelly spoke to the Cork Independent about the drive for donors. “We have been visiting different GAA clubs in the hopes that will get new donors,” she said.

Several members of the GAA community have already made a firm commitment to blood donation. “One of our donors, Diarmuid Horgan of Ballincollig GAA has over 300 donations at this stage,” she highlighted.

However, she clarified that the organisation is not solely seeking youthful donors. “You can donate between the ages of 18 and 64, once you are fit and healthy, we are happy to have you. The reason we look for younger donors is that we hope that they donate and will continue to donate throughout their life.”

Julianne highlighted that the pandemic had an impact on the organisation's ability to enlist fresh donors. “For the Covid years, we weren’t actively able to recruit new donors, and we took a big hit on our donor panels. We need to recruit 15,000 donors per year to maintain the blood supply and we are only a fraction of the way there; we are currently at 5,120 nationally.”

For people looking to donate in Cork, you can donate every 90 days, and there is both a mobile and fixed clinic. “Our mobile team travel that around Munster, so for example this week on Thursday and Sunday, they’ll be in Ovens GAA club. You can find out where they’ll be on any given day on the Irish Blood Transfusion website. We also have a fixed centre that is open Monday to Thursday in St Finbarr’s hospital,” she said. Only 3% of the eligible population are blood donors but it is estimated 1 in 3 people will need a blood transfusion at some point in their lives. O positive and A positive are the most common blood types in Ireland, but O negative is a universal blood group and as this blood can be transfused to patients of all groups, it is always in demand. The message said Julianne is that “that one unit of blood, which is a pint, can save three lives. It’s a small ask for a very big reward.”