Polio's lasting legacy: Pat Ingoldsby talks about the impact of the disease on his life

It may have been forgotten in the collective memory, but the effects of the polio epidemic in the 1940s and 1950s continue to be felt by survivors. We speak to three men about their memories of contracting the disease and how it has affected their lives 

Pat Ingoldsby who has post polio syndrome. Picture: Moya Nolan

It is more than seven decades ago, but some childhood memories remain vivid for Pat Ingoldsby.

The poet and presenter of much-loved RTÉ children’s programmes including Pat’s Hat and Pat’s Chat, contracted polio as an infant in 1942. Growing up in Malahide, Dublin, he wasn’t fully aware of what had happened to him, but the disease had a profound impact.