UCC Fitzgibbon Cup Winner leads the US Charge on Covid

It’s March 24th and Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York, has just delivered his most harrowing press conference on the spread of Covid-19 in the state yet. At a scheduled press conference at the Jacob Javits Centre in Midtown Manhattan which has just been renovated as a makeshift Covid-ward, Cuomo tells journalists the inescapable conclusion that the rate of infection is going up and that the apex is higher than they had thought; a bad mix. Watching on from the side of the atrium is Michael J. Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health, the biggest provider of healthcare in the state of New York. Handpicked by Cuomo to lead the State’s charge against Covid-19, Dowling is tasked with overseeing hospital surge capacity as well as the operation of Northwell’s 23 New York hospitals and 210 outpatient facilities. Though there’s more to this New Yorker than what meets the eye.Born in Knockaderry, County Limerick in 1949, Dowling grew up in very humble beginnings. His father was a laborer, and Dowling recalls in his latest book release that he spent many summers in England working in a Steel Mill to earn his crust. It was not till Dowling was accepted into UCC at the age of 17 as an Arts undergraduate that he finally began to find his stride. It was then in 1966 that he first linked up with UCC GAA Club, which at the time was under the management of Fergus O’Reilly. Dowling’s tenure at UCC was dotted with successes, the biggest of these coming in his first year of studies in 1967, when UCC won their 19th Fitzgibbon Cup. Captained that year by Seánie Barry, the College won out on a score line of 3-17 to 2-05, in a comprehensive defeat of NUIG, known as University College Galway at the time. The game, which took place in Croke Park, saw Dowling play a starring role in the college’s victory, coming off the bench to add three points to his side’s tally from the left half-forward position. However, his successes with the Western Road outfit didn’t end that February in 1967, as Dowling would also go on to win a Cork County Senior Hurling Championship in 1970 before his days at UCC were up. He contributed a 0-4 in UCC’s narrow win over Muskerry on that occasion. A grafter from a young age, Dowling spent every Summer during his time at UCC in New York, where he worked a variety of jobs in order to finance his academic exploits in Cork. It was not until he began his postgraduate studies at Fordham University with a masters in social policy that he was full-time in America.Dowling’s efforts with the GAA Club at UCC didn’t go unnoticed by the inter-county setup in his native Limerick. In 1971 he was drafted into the senior squad and was part of the team that would go on to win their first National Hurling League in 23 years. Dowling would be US-bound before the Treaty County would eventually go on to claim All-Ireland glory in 1973. The Limerick man regularly recounts his days at UCC as some of his fondest, in particular the days spent down the Mardyke. In a recent talk with the Irish-American network in Manhattan, Dowling attributed much of his business strategic outlook on the lessons he learned from the hurling pitch, stressing the importance of confidence in the ability of your team to succeed despite outside influences. Dowling’s rags to riches story in New York started on the city’s docks where he would clean boat engines on the Circle Line, often clocking up 120-hour weeks. It was at Fordham where he met his wife, and also where he caught the eye of Governor-elect Mario Cuomo during his election year of 1983. Dowling would go on to serve as Deputy Secretary and Director of Health, Education, and Human Services in the Cuomo administration for over 12 years. Dowling has overseen Northwell’s transformation from three hospitals at the turn of the millennium to twenty-one and counting, now boasting a $12 billion annual revenue intake. His legacy continues at the GAA Club to this day, with the sponsorship of three scholarships for the hurling club each year. Northwell Health also brings in 20 Irish students annually to complete work placements, 2 of these being BIS undergraduates from UCC. From humble beginnings in Knockaderry, to the bright lights of Manhattan, with major successes in healthcare and politics along the way, it’s clear that the Limerick man hasn’t forgotten where it all started at UCC, and the sporting successes that shaped his character to this day.