Irish Society of Urology
The Irish Society of Urology (ISU) was founded in 1973 to promote the specialty of urology and its related Medical Sciences in Ireland, and to encourage and promote urological training and scientific research. We provide a forum for collaboration, education and the advancement of urological care in Ireland our members are committed to maintaining the highest technical standards, educating students and trainees, and supporting the next generation of urologists.
Society Mission and Strategy
Our mission is to promote excellence in urological education, training, practice and research for the benefit of patients in Ireland. The ISU seeks by processes of collegiate interaction, collaboration, education and training to achieve excellence in urological patient care within our hospitals and clinics and to produce world-class fully trained urologists as the outcome of our postgraduate urological training system.
The ISU is advisory to the Irish Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Joint Committee for Higher Surgical Training (JCHST) concerning urological manpower issues and urological training. The ISU is a partner of the European Association of Urology and European Urology is the Official Journal of the ISU
ISU Structure and Governance
The Irish Society of Urology is composed of urologists and urology trainees within a range of membership categories including Full, Associate, Trainee and Honorary members. Currently, there are approximately 165 ISU members including all categories of membership. Membership of ISU for urologists is by election at the ISU Annual General Meeting, following proposal by an existing member of ISU. Membership for urology trainees is sought by application to the ISU Training Programme Director. The ISU is governed by a Council consisting of 12 elected members, including the ISU President, Vice-President and Immediate Past President, who together form the ISU Executive. It is the role of the ISU Executive to lead the Council in deciding and implementing policy. The ISU Council is the governing body of the Irish Society of Urology.
Richard Power
President
Paddy O'Malley
Vice-President
Hubert Gallagher
Immediate Past President
Fardod O'Kelly
Honorary Secretary
Anna Walsh
Honorary Treasurer
History of Irish Urology
The Urological Club of Great Britain and Ireland (UCGBI) was established in London on Thursday 24 May 1948 at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. Mr Arthur Jacobs (Glasgow) was in the Chair for the foundation meeting, which was also attended by Terence Millin, John Anderson, Dennis Poole-Wilson, Thomas Lane, Cecil Woodside, Cosbie Ross, Joey Robinson, Geoffrey Yates-Bell, Eric Riches, Alex Roche, Hugh Donovan, George Feggetter and Malcolm Pyrah. It was suggested from the outset that the Club be small and that 4 - 5 surgeons from London Teaching Hospitals and one from all, or most, of the provincial teaching hospitals should become foundation members of the Club. The meeting agreed that the first President of the Club should be Mr Thomas Lane of Dublin, and Mr Malcolm Pyrah of Leeds was agreed as the first Secretary. The club's inaugural meeting was hosted by Thomas Lane in Dublin in October 1948.
Following an agreement in principle with the Minister for Health in 1948, the first independent urology unit in Ireland was established in 1949 at the Meath Hospital, Heytesbury Street, Dublin. The Irish Society of Urology was founded in 1973 by a group of 12 urologists. The first meeting was held the same year and Mr Francis Duff was elected as the first ISU President. It was agreed that all of the 12 founding members would form the first ISU National Council.
Pioneering Irish Urologists
Terence Millin (1903 - 1980)
Terence Millin - born in Helen's Bay, Co. Down - introduced in 1945 a surgical treatment for large benign prostate glands using the retropubic prostatectomy, approaching the prostate from behind the pubic bone via the retropubic space. The Millin prostatectomy removed the prostate adenoma by enucleation via an incision in the prostate capsule, thereby avoiding incising the bladder. The introduction of the Millin prostatectomy was groundbreaking and Millin travelled worldwide thereafter, demonstrating his operation. Millin's book publication "Retropubic Urinary Surgery" in 1947 was also highly successful. Millin became President of the Section of Urology of the Royal Society of Medicine in 1948, was awarded the St Peter's Medal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) in 1951, and became President of BAUS in 1954. Millin was at one point the most famous urologist in the world, and the Millin prostatectomy was the main treatment for prostate-related bladder outflow obstruction from 1945 - 1970.
Sir Peter Freyer (1851 - 1921)
Sir Peter Freyer - born in Cleggan, Co. Galway - was best known during his early career in the Bengal Medical Service for popularising litholapaxy using a lithotrite, reporting a mortality of 1.8% compared to 12.5% for open lithotomy in 598 cases. Later, he was appointed as a consulting surgeon at St Peter's Hospital, London. In 1900, Ramon Guiteras presented in London his suprapubic prostatectomy, a modification of Eugene Fuller's version of the procedure. Thereafter, Freyer is rightly credited with popularising the suprapubic prostatectomy procedure, particularly following his report in 1920 - presented at the RSM - on the low mortality of 1674 cases of suprapubic prostatectomies. Freyer was a member of the honorary medical staff of King Edward VII Hospital for Officers. In 1904, he was awarded the Arnott Memorial Medal for original surgical work. Freyer received the KCB in June 1917, and later received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland in 1919. Freyer was elected as the first President of the Section of Urology of the RSM in 1920.
Thomas J.D. Lane (1894 - 1967)
Thomas Joseph Daniel Lane - born in Ferozepore, India - was a transformational figure in Irish medicine, widely credited with establishing urology as a distinct surgical specialty in Ireland. His career was marked by the creation of world-class facilities in Dublin, and a leadership role in the most prestigious urological societies in Britain and Ireland. Lane was elected as President of the Urological Club of Great Britain and Ireland, and hosted the Club's inaugural meeting in Dublin in 1948. Lane introduced the cold punch prostatectomy to Ireland in 1938 and was a co-founder of the Punch Club in 1949. In 1955, Lane opened an 80-bed urological unit at the Meath Hospital in Dublin, the second-largest specialised urology unit in Europe. He was renowned internationally for his results in prostate surgery, reporting a remarkably low mortality of 2.3% in 1540 prostatectomies, thereby proving the efficiency of specialised urological care. He was a founder member of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, and in 1957 was the first practicing Irish surgeon since 1786 to be made an Honorary Fellow of RCSI. Lane's unit at the Meath Hospital became a "place of pilgrimage" for foreign surgeons, including Nobel Laureate Charles Huggins.
Past Presidents of ISU
Since its founding, the Irish Society of Urology has been led by distinguished surgeons whose vision and dedication have shaped the specialty in Ireland. Our history reflects decades of progress in surgical techniques, patient care, and medical education. The role of President has been held by leaders from across the country, each contributing to the growth and reputation of the Society. From the early days of establishing a unified professional body to the present era of technological innovation, the ISU continues to evolve while honouring the contributions of those who came before.