'Gentleman' Arthur, 74, delivers festive joy to singing Limerick nurse

Unique bond was formed when Kathleen soothed Arthur with a song while he laid on a trolley after collapsing at his birthday party on Christmas Eve, four years ago.

Arthur O’Sullivan, (74), Thomondgate, Limerick, poses with Kathleen Delaney, clinical nurse manager, University Hospital Limerick, after delivering a Christmas cake to Kathleen and her colleagues — a tradition he started and has continued since 2016.

Covid-19 could not spoil 74-year-old Arthur O’Sullivan's promise of delivering Christmas joy to a nurse at his local hospital, with cake, after she soothed him with a song while he laid on a trolley after collapsing at his birthday party on Christmas Eve, four years ago.

Despite the pandemic, Arthur, from Thomondgate, kept his promise to Kathleen Delaney and her colleagues at the Emergency Department of University Hospital Limerick (UHL), delivering the cake in person, in line with safe social distancing guidelines.

Around the corridors of UHL, where has been a regular visitor, Mr O’Sullivan, who lives alone, is known as “Kathleen’s Arthur”.

Their unique bond was formed when Arthur, who has the rare arthritic condition ankylosing spondylitis, was brought to the ED on Christmas Eve of 2016.

“It was Christmas Eve, and I was on a trolley in A&E, and Kathleen was talking to me. I told her that it was my birthday, and she held my hand in hers, and quietly sang ‘Happy Birthday’ into my ear," Mr O'Sullivan said. 

"All of my immediate family are dead, so there was nobody there for me, but Kathleen was there, and I still can’t describe how that simple gesture lifted me up — She’s a wonderful person.

“I’ve been in hospitals all over Ireland, and also in England, and I’ve never seen anything like the work-rate of the nurses in the hospital in Limerick."

On that night, and ever since, I’ve been so taken by Kathleen and the way she treats people and talks to people: it’s a cure in itself.

“This is very important. When people show that they care for you, I think you start to care a little bit more for yourself — and I think there is some self-healing that comes with that.

"When you see Kathleen at work, and the way she does that work, it’s clear that she does this with every patient. And I think it’s just fantastic. 

Arthur's Christmas cake for Kathleen and her colleagues at University Hospital Limerick.

"She is not just the only nurse there, but she is a person who everybody is learning from — The rest of the staff want to be like her,” Mr O’Sullivan said.

“University Hospital Limerick is full of lovely people, there’s one lady who does the teas, and I don’t know her name, but she always has a smile on her face and cheers the patients up. 

"I think it’s these little things, the way you talk to people, that really help people.” 

Ms Delaney, who is now a clinical nurse manager in the hospital’s Acute Medical Assessment Unit, has been nursing at UHL for the past 21 years.

She said while all patients are grateful for the care they receive, it’s rare for someone to go to the lengths Mr O’Sullivan has gone to in order to express his gratitude.

“I can remember the night very well, he asked me if I could grant him a wish to get him out of hospital so that he could celebrate his 70th birthday, so I just sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him, and then I joked, ‘well look, we’re all here starving, so you’ll have to bring us in a slice of cake,’ and thought no more of it,” Nurse Delaney recalled.

“Then some time passed, and I was working on nights, and arrived into work to find this big massive cake for me in reception that Arthur had left for me, and he’s been doing it every year since, and we just appreciate his thoughtfulness so much.” 

“Arthur is a loveable rogue, an absolute gentleman, and a very genuine person, and I can hardly describe how much his thoughtfulness is appreciated."

It really lifts you up when you see people going out of their way like that; it’s so kind.

Arthur O’Sullivan’s festive treat for Kathleen and her colleagues has become one of the most heartwarming Christmas traditions for staff at UHL.

For Arthur, it’s a simple matter of saying, thank you: “Kathleen and the staff, they’re so kind, and I just thought at the time that there has to be something I can do to give something back to show how much I appreciate what everyone is doing in the hospital.” 

"I’m not looking for any acknowledgement or anything, just so long as I know that they get their cake, and when I see the smiles on their faces, I’m just as happy as Larry. 

"They’re very kind and gentle people in that hospital, and this is my way of saying thank you,” said Mr O’Sullivan.