Sons of late ‘Father Ted’ actor launch blood pressure campaign

Enda Kenny joined forces with the sons of Father Ted star Dermot Morgan to promote blood pressure awareness.

The TV comedian died suddenly of heart-related causes at the age of 45 in 1998, and his children Ben, Rob and Don, helped Mr Kenny launch a campaign aimed at encouraging people to go for check-ups.

The Irish Heart Foundation’s blood pressure roadshow is to tour the country this autumn after it emerged that half the 945,000 adults at risk of heart attack or stroke due to high blood pressure do not know they are in danger.

The comedian’s son Rob said he was backing the “Down With Blood Pressure” campaign as people need to get checked-out as his father had no warning he was at risk of a heart attack.

Mr Kenny said “cardiovascular disease is a serious problem in this country and it is through initiatives like this one that we can continue to raise awareness and provide information on the changes people can make to take better care of their health”.

“The roadshow will be visiting communities across the country over the coming weeks and I would like to encourage people to come out and avail of the free service,” he said as he met with Mr Morgan’s sons at Government Buildings.

Prof Alice Stanton of the Irish Heart Foundation’s blood pressure council warned that the condition is often a hidden danger.

“High blood pressure has no symptoms so that a person can feel fine and look fine but on the inside, silent damage is happening to the blood vessels which can lead to serious health problems like heart attack, stroke and heart and kidney failure.

“The good news is that a simple five-minute test is all it takes to detect the condition, which can be effectively managed through lifestyle changes, such as being a healthy weight, being active and consuming less salt, less fatty foods, and less alcohol.”

www.irishheart.ie gives details of where the roadshow will visit over the next few weeks.