The Irish Kidney Association has said it used some of the €6m bequeathed to it by a Co Laois woman to buy a house in Co Cork.
Elizabeth O’Kelly, 92, from Stradbally, donated €30m to five charities in a massive windfall for the sector.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, IKA Chief Executive Mark Murphy said the house, which backs onto the campus of Cork University Hospital, will be converted into a support centre for patients who do not need to be in hospital.
The Irish Kidney Association is also negotiating with the Health Service Executive to see if a dialysis unit in Tramore can be completed.
Mr Murphy said the association has also donated money to renal medical research and “given them promises for the next five years.”
He added that “there’s a long way to go, it’s a lot of money.”
The Irish Cancer Society also said it received a €6m bequest from Ms O’Kelly.
It is the single largest donation ever received by the charity, and represents the income of two annual Daffodil Days for the ICS.
The other charities who received donations are the Irish Heart Foundation, the RNLI and the Irish Society for Autism.
Ms O’Kelly died in December 2016 – she was a shareholder in Clylim Properties, which has extensive property interests in Dublin, and it has been reported previously that she made around €30m from the sale of the Leinster Leader Ltd in 2005.
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Source: RTE
