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Bowel Cancer Ireland urges earlier screening after Mageean's death

On RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Brendan Donlon outlines warning signs and says youth or fitness should never be reasons to dismiss symptoms.

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RTÉ News Story of November 3, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Bowel Cancer Ireland urges people to look out for symptoms | RTÉ News

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0:48Donlon remembers Mageean's support for the charity and says neither fitness nor youth rules out bowel cancer.
1:31A cancer survivor himself, Donlon stresses that early detection makes bowel cancer much more treatable.
2:25He calls for a lower screening age in Ireland and highlights urgent colonoscopy backlogs.
3:08Warning signs include blood in stool, persistent bowel changes, unexplained weight loss, bloating and fatigue.
3:45Donlon urges people not to dismiss symptoms and to seek a second opinion when needed.

Blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, bloating and fatigue: these are the warning signs Brendan Donlon asks people not to ignore in RTÉ News's interview following Ciara Mageean's death.

The chair of Bowel Cancer Ireland tells Morning Ireland presenter Cian McCormack that the runner had reached out to support the charity after her diagnosis. RTÉ reports that the Irish Olympian and European champion died aged 34, having been diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in July last year.

"It's also a very strong reminder that you can never be too fit or too young to be affected by bowel cancer," Donlon says.

His message goes beyond awareness. Donlon calls for Ireland to lower its screening age, which he puts at 57, and raises concerns about backlogs for urgent colonoscopies. RTÉ reports that around one in ten bowel cancer diagnoses in Ireland occur in people under fifty.

Donlon also brings his own experience to the discussion. A bowel cancer survivor, he says he recently had a precancerous polyp removed and stresses that catching the disease early makes it much more treatable.

For anyone experiencing symptoms, his appeal is not to wait or dismiss them. He urges people, particularly younger patients whose symptoms may be misdiagnosed, to seek a second opinion when needed: "You can't die of embarrassment."

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