Renewed partnership between the Dillon Quirke Foundation and Abbott to enable cardiac screening for thousands of young people
- Mar 11
- 3 min read
Thousands of young athletes will benefit from potentially life-saving cardiac screening thanks to a renewed partnership between the Dillon Quirke Foundation and Abbott in Clonmel.
The Dillon Quirke Foundation and Abbott began their partnership in 2024 to honour the
legacy of Dillon Quirke, the young Tipperary hurler who collapsed and died during a match in 2022, and to increase awareness of the importance of early detection of heart conditions in young athletes. The Foundation provides cardiac screenings across Ireland for athletes
between 12-17 years of age to identify heart conditions at an early stage. Every year,
Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) takes 100 young lives in Ireland, deaths which could
be prevented by early identification of heart conditions via cardiac screening.
To date, employees at Abbott have raised over €250,000 for the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
Deirdre Mullins, Senior Site Director of Abbott’s Vascular business in Clonmel, recently
presented the funds to foundation chair Dan Quirke and two of its ambassadors, hurling
legend Henry Shefflin and Tipperary Captain Ronan Maher.
Abbott employees nominated local sports clubs to participate in the cardiac screenings. This has seen over 50 youth sports clubs involved, including Moyle Rovers, Clonmel Rugby
Football `Club, and Carrick United AFC. In total more than 2,000 young people have
benefitted from the screenings and while most received all clear, a small number received
important and actionable health information.
The mother of one such teenager, Elaine Cummins, credits the testing with saving the life of
her son after he received a serious cardiac diagnosis.
“We will be forever grateful for this screening,” she said. “It found something we never would have known about until it was too late. The Dillon Quirke Foundation and the generosity of the employees at Abbott have given my son a second chance. I want other parents to know the importance of this screening.”
Dan Quirke, founder of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, added: “Our foundation and the
team at Abbott share a united goal to empower people to live their best lives through good
health. Thanks to the support and generosity of the Abbott employees we have been able to
accelerate our screening services and provide a very real impact to 2,300 families.
“As we look to expand the number of different clubs and sporting organisations we work
alongside, we are incredibly grateful for Abbott’s ongoing support in our shared mission to
catch potential heart problems in young people at the earliest opportunity.”
Ongoing Support from Abbott in Clonmel
The Dillon Quirke Foundation was chosen by the Abbott team in Clonmel as part of Croí an
Óir, the global health technology company’s national volunteering and giving programme in
Ireland. Established in 2007, Croí an Óir – Irish for “heart of gold” – has raised over €3.2
million for 900 charities nationwide. Through this programme, employees select an annual
Charity of Choice and work together to support local good causes.
Following two years of partnership with the Foundation, the Abbott Clonmel team has
elected to continue its support and has committed to extending this partnership until
December 2027. This renewed commitment reflects the strong connection between Abbott employees and the Foundation’s mission and reinforces the team’s dedication to raising awareness and vital funds for the prevention of sudden adult death syndrome.
Abbott raised funds by hosting a range of employee-led fundraising activities, including
jersey sales, a car raffle, bake sales and salary contributions.
Deirdre Mullins, Senior Site Director at Abbott (Clonmel), said,
“At Abbott, we are committed to advancing heart health through our innovative technologies, and I am proud to see our employees extend this commitment into the community. Their dedication to supporting cardiac screenings for young people across Ireland is making a meaningful and measurable impact. The funds they have raised are helping to protect the lives of young people, and I am deeply grateful for their efforts to strengthen the wellbeing of our local communities.”
