GAA star Donaghy credits Glasson brain surgeon with saving his cousin's life

The former Kerry footballer Kieran Donaghy has credited Glasson brain surgeon Dr Catherine Moran with saving the life of his young cousin following an injury on a rugby pitch.

Donaghy, who is a coach with the current All Ireland football champions Armagh, praised Dr Moran after seeing her on the Virgin Media television series Brain Doctors: Inside Neurosurgery.

Taking to the social media platform X, he wrote: "What a bunch of amazing people all hospital staff, top to bottom, are.

"Dr Catherine Moran saved my cousin's life after a bad injury on a pitch. Shaved his head running into theatre on a stretcher and opened his head to relieve pressure, and fixed the brain bleed."

The incident in question was reported on in newspapers when it happened, in November 2012.

The GAA star's first cousin, Ronan Fitzgerald, then aged 13, was hospitalised and had to undergo emergency surgery after an accidental collision during a pre-match warm-up at Tralee rugby club.

Four years ago this month, to coincide with International Women's Day, Catherine Moran was appointed as Ireland's first female consultant neurosurgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.

She took up the role after a 20-year journey in medicine.

Catherine is a daughter of Jack and Kathy Moran, and has a twin sister, Rosalyn, who is a neuroscientist and computational psychiatrist.

The Moran twins are past pupils of the former Bower girls' national school in Athlone, Tubberclair NS, and the former St Joseph's College in Summerhill.