Being born on 22nd February, 1922 (22.2.22) was something of a foretaste of the drama that was to follow Tony in a long and distinguished life. While he was still very young, an only child, he suffered the tragedy of a broken parental marriage and was in effect reared by strangers who were very good to him for many years. In spite of this he became the man he was. Belvedere and Ampleforth each made their contribution. In due course he entered the Medical School in Trinity College, Dublin and had a quite brilliant undergraduate career.
In his final year money was very short and he failed to enter for the examination for his final degree. His professor of medicine sent for him to ask why. Tony told him that he had not the money to pay the entry fee. In a few days the fee was paid by his professor, V. Millington Synge (a close relative of the famous Irish playwright). This generous gesture gives some indication of the high opinion of him held by his teachers in Trinity.
Prior to his final year, to deal with his recurring financial troubles, he spent some time as an actor in the Gate Theatre and one Sunday morning within the last two years I heard his voice on the radio in Sunday Miscellany, when we were reminded of his student days. Michael MacLiammoir threw a party one Saturday night and Tony attended in 16th-century attire. While making his way home late at night he encountered three "well oiled" young men. They surveyed his attire and one threw up his arms while exclaiming to his friends, "My God, it's Jonathan Swift!"
Tony qualified very young in the early 1940s and went to England where he pursued his hospital rounds in Cheltenham, Liverpool and Greenwich, ending up as senior registrar in the Sefton General Hospital working for a very well-known urologist, Cosbie Ross. There, in 1950, he developed tuberculosis in his urinary tract and was immobilised on treatment for a year, finishing his time as a patient of Cosbie's, who became a life-long friend. On discharge he joined a P & O liner as ship's surgeon and journeyed up the Amazon basin to aid his recovery from the disease.
He was appointed to Jervis Street Hospital in 1953 to the surgical vacancy caused by the departure to Ealing Priory of J. C. Flood. Initially he performed as a "generalist" but gradually built up a reputation as a urologist. He was a concerned and excellent generalist, taking his turn as "surgeon on duty" with his colleagues.
In the growth of his urology department he was greatly encouraged by the then Irish doyen of the speciality, T.J.D. Lane in the Meath. Tony developed a reputation among students and young doctors of not suffering any diminution of clinical energy. Hence "The Nark" - a nickname free of malice but nevertheless a recognition of all his qualities.
At this stage of his career he was still living alone without any visible relatives. In February 1954 he went with the Dublin Hospitals Golfing Society team to London. On the Friday of his arrival he went to a party where he met a young lady (Jossy Schulte) who lived with her family in Ealing. When that weekend ended Tony reappeared in Jervis Street and on meeting him in the yard he accosted the writer and informed him that he was due congratulations. On being asked "for what?", he replied that he was engaged to Jossy. That was probably the most important weekend of his life. It was the beginning of an association between two people which was one of the very finest welding of lives one could experience.
They were married in Ealish Priory in September, 1954 and due course had a family of three boys and two girls. Gone forever was the loneliness of Tony's childhood and young adult years. Each individual offspring is a credit to two very fine parents.
Another feature of Tony's multi-talented make-up was his linguistic ability. His French/ English standard was dramatically displayed in his magnificent translation of Jean Hamburger's double volumed text-book on nephrology, for whish he was selected by the French author. Tony's version read like an original English production by someone who was a first-class writer in that language.
Jossy's parents were Dutch speaking and between their dates of engagement and marriage he became completely competent in their tongue. Among other languages in which he became competent was Japanese - an unusual accomplishment for a Western European of his time.
He played a very important part in setting up the Dialysis and Transplant Unit in Jervis Street and became so prominent in the beginnings of the European development in this field that in the 1960s he was one of the early presidents of EDTA (European Dialysis & Transplant Association).
Twenty years later his international urologist colleagues elected him president of the Societe Internationale d'Urologie (SIU) in Seville, Spain on July 3rd, 1991. Without central vision in either eye he, with Jossy, attended a meeting of this society a matter of months before his final illness.
He died on November 29th, 1997, and was interred in Killoughter Cemetery, close to Ashford, Co Wicklow, a very beautiful resting place. His departure was witnessed by a large gathering of old students and with his family were two cousins from Co Wexford whose existence he discovered only in the last year of his life.
This remarkable man brought so much honour to his country and his family and was a very dear friend to many in all walks of life.
W.F.O'D.