Ray D'arcy spoke to Dr Marion Broderick who has just retired after spending 42 years as a GP on the Aran Islands. What happens next for the people of the island and how easy is it to find an Irish-speaking replacement?
Labhair Dr Broderick faoin cuimhní cinn mar dhochtúir ar na hOileáin Árainn agus a bhfuil roimpi anois chomh maith leis na dúshláin a bhaineann le GP nó dochtúir teaghlaigh nua a aimsiú a bhfuil Gaeilge acu le freastal ar mhuintir na n-oileán.
Broderick, who is a Galway woman, met and married and islander and moved to Inis Mór in the year 1981 and took up the position as the GP. Despite not being an islander, Broderick took care of all three islands, Inis Mór, Inis Meáin, Inis Oírr for 22 years before other GPs were employed on those islands.
Excellent public health nurses on the three islands helped Dr Broderick 'keep her head above water' during those challenging years and throughout her whole career, she says.
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Getting patients to more specific or emergency care was is one of the biggest challenges facing an island or a rural GP. Bhí baint ag an Dr Broderick le aghaidh a thabhairt ar na dúshláin seo agus tháinig sise agus daoine eile le chéile le cáipéis a chur faoi bhráid an rialtais a chiallaigh gur cuireadh seirbhís ingearáin agus eile ar fáil do na hoileáin seo, rud nach raibh ann go dtí sin.
In the early days of her career, Dr Broderick describes taking a currach to a lifeboat or vice versa because of sea conditions and sometimes having to take a patient into the currach too.
Delivering babies on an island is another element of the job that Dr Broderick dealt with when she was working on the islands.
Tá folúntas anois ann dóibh siúd ar mhaith leo a bheith ag obair mar dhochtúir teaghlaigh ar an oileán ach tá ceist ann anois maidir le líon na Gaeilge a bheidh ag an té seo.
