Former general practitioner Waterford, Ireland (b Limerick 1944; q Dublin 1968), d 26 March 2004.
As the Irish Republic's foremost medical politician for more than 30 years, Cormac McNamara had a major influence on national health policy. He helped bring general practice from the backwaters of medicine to the recognised specialty it is today. He also had a major interest in occupational health and was chief medical adviser to Waterford Glass and other industries in the south east. In 1970 he entered and built up what is now the largest general practice in the republic. He was president of the Medical Union and was chairman of the Irish Medical Association, and contributed to the amalgamation of both into the Irish Medical Organisation. He leaves a wife, Mary, and five children.
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