Every day in Ireland, someone’s father, mother, brother, sister, friend or partner dies from heart disease. It doesn’t come with flashing lights or dramatic warnings.

And often, it comes quietly — in the middle of a normal day, during a school run, a supermarket trip, or just walking to the car. Heart disease is our nation’s leading killer, and yet it remains woefully underfunded, under-discussed, and tragically underestimated.

The Numbers That Should Stop Us in Our Tracks

Heart disease kills more people in Ireland than any single form of cancer. According to the Irish Heart Foundation, nearly 9,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Ireland. That’s 1 in every 3 deaths.

But let’s put that in wider context:

• In Ireland, approx. 27% of all deaths are from cardiovascular/Heart Disease.
• In the UK, around 160,000 people die from heart and circulatory diseases each year – that’s one death every three minutes.
• Across the EU, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death, responsible for over 3.9 million deaths annually, representing nearly 45% of all deaths in Europe.
• Globally, heart disease kills 18 million people each year — that’s more than all cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes combined.

And this silent killer does not discriminate:

• 1 in 4 women in Ireland will die from heart disease or stroke — more than will die from breast cancer.
• Men are more likely to experience a heart attack earlier, with Irish men having one of the highest rates of premature cardiovascular death in Western Europe.

These statistics are not just numbers. They’re fathers who never walked their daughters down the aisle, mothers who never held their grandchildren, brothers and sisters lost far too young.

The Prevention That’s Being Ignored

What’s most maddening about this crisis? It is largely preventable. With proper investment in public health education, accessible screening, and timely interventions, we could save thousands of lives every year.

But prevention takes commitment — and Ireland, frankly, has failed in this regard.

Despite the known risk factors — high blood pressure, smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, obesity, and high cholesterol — Ireland continues to underfund prevention programmes for cardiovascular health. Much attention (rightly) goes toward cancer awareness, but cardiovascular disease is still left lingering in the background, waiting to strike.

The Role of Charities: Patching a Governmental Wound

Let’s say it clearly: The Irish government has relied far too heavily on charities to do its job. Organisations like Croí & the Irish Heart Foundation have worked tirelessly to educate the public Heart Disease & Heart Health, offer free checks, lobby for improved policies, and support survivors and their families.

But this isn’t a fair or sustainable model.

• The Irish Heart Foundation & Croí depend heavily on donations for over 90% of its income.
• Heart screening services, awareness campaigns, and community heart health initiatives are predominantly funded by the public, not the state.
• Even post-cardiac rehab care, a vital step in preventing a second heart event, is patchy at best and often left to the community sector to facilitate.

Ireland’s approach is dangerously reactive. We wait until people suffer a major cardiac event — a heart attack, stroke, or sudden cardiac arrest — before stepping in. By then, lives are changed or lost. The focus must shift to prevention, early detection, and education.

What You Can Do Right Now

This crisis demands national attention, but there are personal choices that can literally save your life — or the life of someone you love.

1. Know Your Numbers

• Get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly (especially if over 40).
• Monitor your weight and waist size – abdominal obesity is a huge risk factor.
• Ask your GP about your cardiovascular risk based on your family history.

2. Quit Smoking

• Smoking doubles your risk of heart attack. The damage begins to reverse just days after quitting.

3. Eat for Your Heart

• Cut down on salt and processed foods.
• Increase your intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and oily fish.

4. Get Moving

• Even 30 minutes of walking five days a week reduces heart disease risk dramatically.

5. Manage Stress

• Chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart strain. Make some ‘YOU‘ time to unwind, connect with others, and talk about your mental health.

6. Know the Warning Signs

• Jaw pain, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, fatigue, or nausea — especially in women — should never be ignored. (more here or check out organisations like Croí & the Irish Heart Foundation)

What We Must Get The Government To Do

The government must stop outsourcing responsibility to well-meaning charities. Here’s what urgent state intervention should look like:

• Nationwide public heart health screening campaigns — free and accessible.
• Statutory funding for Croí, The Irish Heart Foundation and similar NGOs, so they are not scraping for survival.
• Investment in heart health education in schools, particularly around diet and exercise.
• Funding and standardisation of cardiac rehabilitation services across all counties.
• Incentives for healthy eating, and stricter regulation on junk food advertising.
• A national cardiovascular health strategy, updated and fully resourced, not just a dusty report.

A Final Plea

As someone who has survived a STEMI heart attack — I can tell you, it is terrifying. I was lucky. I had quick-thinking friends, an ambulance team that got to me, and skilled surgeons who inserted stents. Many aren’t so lucky.

Heart disease doesn’t always scream — sometimes it whispers until it’s too late.

This is a call to action — for individuals to take control of their heart health, and for the government to finally take cardiovascular disease seriously. We cannot continue to accept 9,000 preventable Irish deaths a year as normal.

Let’s fight the silent killer. Let’s make some noise.