A DROP in organ donations has brought into sharp focus the need for greater public awareness around donation, Donegal Fine Gael Senator Manus Boyle has said.
Speaking during Organ Donor Awareness Week, Senator Boyle said it was vital that people across Ireland spoke to their families about their wishes when it comes to organ donation.
The Irish Kidney Association has highlighted that organ donation has fallen to its lowest level in five years, with 202 transplants carried out last year — a figure Senator Boyle described as deeply concerning, particularly when more than 650 people are currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant in Ireland.
The senator spoke candidly about the issue’s personal impact, revealing that his own wife has been waiting five years for a transplant and undergoes gruelling rounds of dialysis.
“This scenario is replicated in families around Ireland and can feel relentless and sometimes without any prospect of changing. But the hope of a new organ keeps them going,” he said.
Senator Boyle noted that since June 2025, people are assumed to have consented to organ donation unless they have registered an opt-out, but stressed that family conversations remain essential, as family members will always be consulted before any action is taken.
“Talking about it can be uncomfortable, but it will make it easier for your family to make this decision should they find themselves in this situation at what will inevitably be a difficult and tragic time,” he said.
“Don’t leave your loved ones in doubt, have the conversation about organ donation,” Senator Boyle urged.