Limerick campaigner Mike Daly's battle against the State detailed in new book

A LOCAL campaigner who received an apology from University Hospital Limerick (UHL) over the way his late father was treated in their care has brought his 16-year battle against the State to book.

Garryowen man Mike Daly created history when he secured a second inquest into the passing of his father Mike Snr, who died at UHL in 2010.

An inquest two years later found that he had died of cardiac failure due to natural causes.

PICTURES: Local residents express strong opposition to modular homes in Limerick park

However, in what is thought to be a first in Irish history, a fresh coroner’s inquiry was ordered and heard in 2023. It heard that a “timely” surgical procedure would have “avoided the death” of Mr Daly Snr, who had been treated for rectal pain and bleeding for more than two-and-a-half years and had a number of surgical procedures carried out in the Dooradoyle facility.

Following High Court action taken against the HSE in 2024, UHL in a letter to Mr Daly Snr’s widow Mary said it “admitted liability” and “apologises unreservedly to you and your family for the hurt, stress and upset caused.”

It was a single word from father to son in the final moments of his life which stuck with Mike, and inspired the title of the book, ‘His Last Word was Revenge’ which launched this week.

“I was pushed by the fact that my father, on his deathbed, in and out of consciousness, found it very hard to speak. He was in his last days before he passed, and he uttered the word ‘revenge’. I looked at my sister, and asked: ‘did he just say what I thought he did?' She confirmed it. It was surreal. Where would you ever witness anything like that? Your Dad dying and he’s asking to get revenge,” Mike told Limerick Live.

READ MORE: Irish Red Cross marks Limerick volunteers’ 50 years service

Since his father’s tragic death aged only 64, Mike read through some 16,000 sheets of technical reports in his bid for a second inquest.

“It was the worst thing I ever had to do in my life. When I was going through my father’s medical records, everyone was telling us he died of natural causes, heart failure. We were told we needed to grieve and move on, but we refused. Going through his medical records and finding out the truth of what happened to him, it was devastating,” he said.

Mike, who has self-published the book, has printed 1,000 copies. Already, 80 have sold.

“I’ve had two or three people come back to me and say they were shocked at it. A lot of people would have said they’d have been bawling crying reading the book. My father went through hell, and you’ll see it within the book,” he said.

Mike will remember his father as someone who would always take time out for his children.

“Even though he worked five days a week, he would do something with us on weekends. As a crowd, or individually some weeks. I have loads of memories of him bringing me fishing. He was a really good Dad. He got on with everybody,” he said.

Mike will be selling copies of his book - priced €19.99 in the city for the next few weeks. On Fridays, he will be outside Mango (formerly Debenhams).

It will be the Milk Market on Saturday, and then the car boot sale at the City East Retail Park, near B&Q on Sundays.

For more information and to buy a copy, call 087-132 1132, or click here