GAA back defibrillator push

The GAA has pledged its support to the drive to provide defibrillators to all parishes in the country.Director general Liam Mulvihill made the remarks at the launch of fundraising for the Cormac Trust, set up to commemorate the former Tyrone football captain Cormac McAnallen who died suddenly nine months ago yesterday.

The Cormac Trust is raising funds to provide defibrillators for all sports clubs in Tyrone. Yesterday's launch was attended by Republic of Ireland soccer manager Brian Kerr, Ireland rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll and Tyrone's All-Ireland winning captain Peter Canavan.

The trust's aims are to: promote and encourage screening to identify and treat heart conditions; provide information and raise awareness on these heart conditions; provide defibrillators for each GAA club and the main soccer and rugby clubs in Co Tyrone initially; lobby to raise awareness in Government and health departments on the need for action.

"At the National Coaching Conference at the weekend," said Mulvihill, "we had a top medical expert, Dr Galvin, who gave a lecture with regard to this phenomenon. He called on the GAA to spearhead a drive to have at least one defibrillator in every parish. Club Tyrone and the Cormac Trust were in ahead of him.

"Dr Galvin mentioned how we had pioneered the use of defibrillators in Croke Park and although there's been little publicity about it, 10 lives have been saved in Croke Park over the past two years.

"He pointed out that research in Chicago indicates someone suffering from a wide range of 10 heart incidents can be dealt with by defibrillators. Calling ambulances or Garda cars is often no use because you have to have one available very quickly.

"Every GAA club should have one and be training people to use it. Cormac couldn't have realised that his death would mean so much to sport and public health.

"We pledge the support of Croke Park and Central Council for the aims of the trust and we'll certainly be giving full support into the future and taking initiatives ourselves."

Brendan McAnallen, Cormac's father, spoke of his wish that the initiative should cover all sports, as his son had had a great interest in so many of them. "John McCall (the under-19 Ireland rugby player who died of a heart attack last March) lived only a few miles from us. We felt that these facilities should be available to all grounds in Tyrone."

Brigid McAnallen informed those present of further details about the cause of her son's death. "At the time the cause of death was speculated as being cardiomyopathy or a viral infection. We don't now believe it was either of those.

"It was a failure of the electrical impulse that causes the heart to beat. There are a number of conditions under that umbrella and a number of them are hereditary. We believe the one that caused Cormac's death is LQT 3 and that it runs in the family. But we don't have the results of the genetic tests yet."

She added that, contrary to some views, screening is an effective way of saving the lives of young sportspeople with undiagnosed cardiac problems.

Both O'Driscoll and Kerr expressed their support for the initiative. "We continue to be flabbergasted that athletes, the healthiest people in society, continue to be affected," said Kerr.

He went on to draw attention to the current issue of UEFA Direct, the official bulletin of the European soccer federation, which outlined the mandatory cardiological tests and screening that German soccer players must undergo from the age of 12 and also pointed out similar universal screening is enforced across sports in Italy.

"It's good to see you in Croke Park," said Canavan to his fellow sportsmen. "Maybe it's a sign of things to come."

The Tyrone players helped raise over €10,000 for Cormac McAnallen's fiancée Ashlene Moore, who will shortly travel to India to work with homeless people in Calcutta.

Club Tyrone, the PR and marketing committee set up to raise funds for the development of the GAA in Tyrone, is organising a fundraising banquet on February 4th at the Armagh City Hotel. To book a table go to www.thecormactrust.com. Contributions to the Cormac Trust can be made to an interim account at First Trust Bank, Omagh; Sort Code: 93-81-30; Account No: 658 33406; Account Name: Coiste Chontae Thir Eoghain.