Hero of pandemic who stood up to lockdowns

THE five-year anniversary of Covid got me thinking about heroes of the pandemic.

- LARISSA NOLAN

There's nothing like a world plague to bring out the best and the worst in people.

When I look back at March 2020, and the beginning of what was to be the needless and cruel shutdown of our lives for two years, one figure stands out for me: the late Dr Martin Feeley.

He was the senior doctor in Ireland who spoke out - at personal cost — about the harmful cost of rolling lockdowns on people and society.

Heart surgeon Martin lost his position as HSE clinical director for his sincere views on the dangers and folly of shutting down lives in the vain bid to beat a pandemic. He voiced his professional opinion on Prime Time saying: “The mood of the country is depressed. Someone has to stand up for people.”

I'm privileged I got to know Martin Feeley after I interviewed him. He became a friend as well as an ally in highlighting the madness.

We were living in the most locked down country in the free world. A year in, we were stuck to 5km zones and threatened with €2,000 fines if we left the country.