An Appreciation:IN THE mid 1950s, following a teaching clinic at the now defunct Richmond Hospital, I referred to my time as a fellow in surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Years later Peter Mc Lean, who attended that clinic, told me that my reference to the Mayo Clinic decided his subsequent career in surgery.
Peter Mc Lean was born in 1934 as the youngest son of John and Bridget Mc Lean from Dunfanaghy , Co Donegal. He obtained a scholarship to St Eunan’s College in Letterkenny, became a student at The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and graduated with honours in 1958. He had the unique achievement of obtaining all four surgical fellowships in the UK and Ireland and subsequently, while in the US he obtained a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
He went to the US and did post graduate training in Ohio, receiving a fellowship in urology at the renowned Mayo Clinic where he spent five years with a group of distinguished urologists, the chief of whom Dr G Thompson had devised the so-called “cold punch” operation of transurethral prostatectomy. This procedure was later modified and became the standard procedure known as transurethral resection for prostatic maladies.
On his return to Ireland, he was appointed consultant urologist and later renal transplant surgeon to Jervis Street Hospital and also the Richmond Hospital. When both hospitals closed he continued his work at Beaumont Hospital until 1999. He was one of the first fully trained urologists in this country and introduced renal transplantation in conjunction with his senior consultant Anthony Walsh. He was elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1984 and was president from 1996-1998.
In 1962, he married Dr Nuala Kilcoyne who practised as a doctor for many years, but sadly predeceased Peter on January 22nd last. They had two children Lorraine an and Kenneth and also to their delight two grandchildren – Frieda and Finley Alexander.
Peter had a great affection for Donegal, where he was very well known and popular and greatly honoured by his compatriots when he was elected Donegal man of the year in 1986. He was a frequent attender at the annual MacGill school in Glenties from which he got great enjoyment. He was a reserved type of man, most friendly and affable, with a kind disposition, a rock of common sense from whom advice was frequently sought.
He was an avid reader and particularly enjoyed history and biographies.
In latter years Peter and Nuala built a lovely home in a very scenic location in Donegal, where they and the family and friends spent many happy times together. They were both looking forward to spending a lot more time there during their retirement – alas not to be. His sudden and unexpected death was a horrific shock to his family, friends and colleagues, and at his removal service his son Kenneth paid a lovely tribute to his father on behalf of Lorraine and himself.
He will be sadly missed by Lorraine and Kenneth, Frieda and Finley Alexander, son in law Michael, daughter-in-law Kay, brother Dennis, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews. He has been laid to rest with Nuala in Donegal.
"The day is done, and the darkness.Falls from the wings of night/As a feather is wafted downwards/From the eagle in his flight." – HW Longfellow. – HB