SETU partners with Quirke Foundation to launch SADS screening initiative
L-R SETU Sports Scholars Adam Nolan, Orla Dullaghan, and Darragh Vereker are pictured with Mike Geoghegan, SETU; Michael Harrison, SETU Sport; Dan Quirke, CEO and Founder, Dillon Quirke Foundation; Katie Redmond, SETU; and Donal McNally, SETU, at the launch of SETU's partnership with the Dillon Quirke Foundation. Photo: Patrick Browne
SOUTH-EAST Technological University (SETU) has partnered with the Dillon Quirke Foundation to launch a sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) screening initiative as part of the university’s sports scholarship programme.
The first year of the pilot initiative aims to provide free cardiac screening for up to 135 sports scholars. SETU has also introduced mandatory cardiac screening for all sports scholars and is providing follow-up screenings in consultation with the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
David Denieffe, chief operations officer at SETU, said: “SETU places student health and wellbeing at the centre of this initiative. We look forward to working alongside our partners at the Dillon Quirke Foundation to co-ordinate screening and we thank them for their invaluable contribution and commitment.”
The Dillon Quirke Foundation is dedicated to preventing sudden cardiac deaths in young people. Its mission is to protect young athletes and their families from the devastation of SADS.
Dillon Quirke was a young Tipperary hurler who tragically died while playing for his club Clonoulty-Rossmore in 2022. He was found to have died of SADS.
Dan Quirke, Dillon’s father and founder of the Dillon Quirke Foundation, said: "The Dillon Quirke Foundation was established to ensure no family has to endure the heartbreak of losing a young person to Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. Our partnership with SETU is exactly the kind of proactive, meaningful action that will save lives.”
He added: “By providing cardiac screening to sports scholars, we are giving young athletes the best possible chance to pursue their passions safely. We are proud to stand alongside SETU in making athlete welfare a priority and hope this initiative inspires similar action across higher education in Ireland."
On average, SADS takes the lives of 100 young people in Ireland every year. Cardiac screening can help prevent SADS-related deaths by identifying underlying heart conditions at an early stage.
The risk in athletes can be higher due to the physical strain sport places on the heart. However, regular screening significantly reduces the risk of these deaths occurring.
Italy has been at the forefront of providing cardiac screening for competitive athletes for many years, with the number of deaths linked to SADS falling significantly as a result.
Despite sporting and medical organisations such as the GAA, the European Society of Cardiology and World Rugby supporting regular screening for young adults, Ireland still does not have a nationwide cardiac screening programme.
