“May you always walk in sunshine. May you never want for more. May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.” – Irish Blessing

This week I heard the news that a dear friend of mine, Brian J. Maurer, MB, BCh, FACC, passed away. Maurer has been called “an icon of cardiology in Ireland,” and is someone who I would call a “giant” for his efforts in expanding cardiology in Ireland and for his role as a mentor throughout his career.

Throughout his life he held many prestigious positions and was a consultant cardiologist and director of cardiology at St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland. He was also a past member of council and executive member of the Irish Medical Association, a former secretary and president of the Irish Cardiac Society, and a former president and medical director of the Irish Heart Foundation.

He was also instrumental in helping to organize the Great Britain and Ireland ACC Chapter. Without Maurer’s ambition and vision for the Chapter, our relationship might not be what it is today.

Coincidentally I just returned from the annual congress of the Irish Cardiac Society in Killarney, Ireland with President Elect Patrick O’Gara, MD, FACC, where we participated in an ACC Great Britain and Ireland Chapter meeting, and I also presented the Stokes Lecture. Later today, I will be traveling back to Ireland to be inducted as a Fellow by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.

As my ancestral birthplace, Ireland will always hold a special place in my heart, and the passing of Dr. Maurer means Ireland and the field of cardiology has lost a true icon and friend. It goes without saying that he will surely be missed.

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