By Claire Corrigan
It was a day of mixed emotions for Dr. Frank McKenna last Friday, 7 October as he bade farewell to his beloved practice on Austin Friars Street, Mullingar, after an incredible 38 years. Family and staff gathered together as the popular doctor looked back over his successful career.
Speaking to Topic, a visibly emotional Frank said that the years had passed by very quickly.
“The 38 years have flown. I can’t believe how fast it went.”
A Cork native, Frank got his medical degree at University College Cork and also completed his medical training there. He then travelled to Australia in 1976, returning to his homeland two years later where he took a job in Mullingar. “When I came back the General Medical Services (GMS) had started so it changed the rules of things. I joined with Dr. Liam Harris here and I’m here since.”
Frank met his wife Patricia when they were just 16 and together the couple have three children, Eva, Tom and Barry. The McKennas live in Ballinderry and Frank says they will stay in Mullingar. “We said we’d try it and see what happens and we’re still here. All our friends are here and we’re here now for so long and between different clubs and different things over the years we have become settled.”
The doctor said that while having to deal with heartbreaking situations is part and parcel of the job, it was something that you never get used to. “It can be very upsetting. When you have children who are getting sick and getting diagnosed with illnesses such as leukaemia, it’s very upsetting. No matter how long you are a doctor you get upset.”
Talking about his staff, Frank was full of praise for the three ladies who have worked at the surgery for several years. “Gertie (Wallace, Practice Manager) is with me the best part of 20 years and she has been superb. She helps me to stay organised because I’m not the most organised of people. Anne, the nurse, came a few years later and she has also been great, and Catherine fills in from time to time. They have all been brilliant and made life for me very very good.”
Frank said while he will miss the job, he feels like it is time to move on to the next chapter of his life. “You like to leave on a high and when it’s going well.”
Speaking to Topic, Gertie was equally as complementary to her former colleague.“ From the first day I came here I knew it was going to work. He was easy to work for and let me do the job and it was like a hand in a glove. He’d said, ‘You do what you do and I’ll do my job and we’ll get on just fine’ and it has worked perfectly like that.”
“He will be sorely missed. He knew his patients so well, from grandparents to grandchildren,” she added.
Nurse Anne Eivers said that she also thoroughly enjoyed working with Frank. “It is wonderful working here and Frank was very pleasant to work with. He was supportive the whole way and I enjoyed my 14 years here very much. I didn’t intend to stay 14 years but that’s what it ran into. I enjoyed coming into work each morning. The patients that were here were so nice and it really manifested itself in the week. My goodness, the amount of good wishes, cards and presents we’ve got is phenomenal. They were excellent.”
Catherine Ryan, who is also going into retirement, had kind words for her time at the practice. “I filled in for anyone who had to miss a day 15 years ago. I enjoyed every second of it. I really had a great time. I’m so sorry to be leaving and so sorry to see Frank go but I’ve come to retirement age, as the doctor has, so I’m looking forward to my retirement as well.”
Frank’s wife Patricia said she and her husband were both looking forward to Frank’s retirement. “He’s a very well-rounded person so I think he’ll enjoy it. Luckily, we both like most of the same things and we really do spend all our time together. We’ve been extremely lucky and the children are great.”
