Ms Cleary, from Corbally, Limerick, spent a significant period of time on a hospital trolley in a UHL corridor and died hours after being discharged from the hospital. 

Her family is suing the HSE over her death and for mental distress.

Senior HSE and hospital officials in Cork and Limerick apologised this week for unacceptable delays, with the experience of 87-year-old Jeremiah Mullins, who spent 100 hours waiting for a hospital bed at UHL, a case in point.

Elsewhere, Shane Rodgers gave an emotional statement this week at the coroner’s court in Gorey, Co Wexford, at the start of the inquest into the death of his son, Noah O’Shea Rodgers, at Wexford General Hospital.

On Tuesday two hospitals — Children’s Health Ireland (Temple Street Children’s Hospital, Dublin) and Mercy University Hospital — apologised for the failings in care to a young Cork boy, Jack Doran, whose brain tumour grew and went undetected for over 12 years.

The suffering endured by those families is difficult to imagine, particularly the Cleary, O’Shea Rodgers, and Doran families. 

The loss of a child is the ultimate nightmare for any parent.

These cases differ in many respects but all share one significant feature: The raw pain expressed by those affected.

Mr Rodgers told the inquest how his wife had learned her baby was dead: “The doctor replied rather abruptly [and said] ‘he is dead, Claire’, and then walked away from Claire. 

"This was already a very traumatic time for Claire and it was further compounded by the terrible attitude and choice of words used by the doctor.”

The Doran family pointed out the lack of MRI facilities in Munster and expressed a simple wish: “We never want another family to go through what we’ve been through.”

Melanie Sheehan Cleary was equally straightforward: “All I ever wanted was somebody to say they were sorry for what they did to my Eve.”

Funding may result in more staff and better facilities, but more compassion for distressed and bereaved families would be a welcome development.

Making plans for safer future

Tonight marks Ireland’s first Clean Air Night, with Cork the venue. 

The concept is straightforward and specific: Clean Air Night is aimed at raising awareness of the links between home fires and air pollution.

And despite what one might think, Ireland can be a harsh environment for those susceptible to air pollution. 

As revealed in these pages earlier this week, we hit a dangerous milestone this month, when low winds and very cold temperatures produced highly-polluted air across Ireland and huge numbers of people were exposed to dirty air.

For instance, the residents of Edenderry, Co Offaly, were particularly badly hit. 

They had to endure a daily average level of fine particles which was almost 10 times worse than the World Health Organization guidelines, which led officials to issue a public health alert for air pollution across the midlands.

If the air we breathe is not clean then there are serious implications for public health: Long-term exposure to even low levels of air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, low birthweight, neurological issues, and poor mental health.

For all that, there have been improvements in recent years, such as the ban on smoky coal which was introduced in Dublin three decades ago, a measure which is judged to have saved hundreds of lives. 

One specific issue here is the attachment to an open fire at home. 

Though redolent of home and comfort, it is also responsible for serious levels of pollution.

As a result, it raises a very modern question: Is my comfort more important than the long-term good?

Clean Air Night advocates are suggesting people take the time this evening to make plans for the future that will be safer and healthier for all.

Oscar nod for Murphy

For most readers, the highlight of Tuesday’s Oscar news was Cillian Murphy’s nod for best actor for Oppenheimer, closely followed by the nominations for Poor Things.

The latter film’s producers, Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Dublin-based Element Pictures, and Dubliner Robbie Ryan (cinematography) all picked up nominations as well.

Element Pictures’ track record includes hits as various as the TV series Normal People and movies like Room, and their latest success is an endorsement of years of quality work.

It augurs well for Irish film and television that last year’s annus mirabilis — there were 14 Oscar nominations in all for Irish productions and performers — was no flash in the pan; Poor Things shows that there is a consistency to the creativity.

Murphy’s nomination will dominate the headlines, however, and understandably so. 

Best actor is a headline category, the equivalent to a gold in the 100m at the Olympic Games. 

It culminates and crowns a career of terrific work by the actor, while also offering a platform to scale new heights in the future.

Congratulations are due to the Corkman on this achievement — with more cause to celebrate, with luck, at the ceremony itself on March 10.