Highlights from the day MS Ireland hosted the annual National MS Conference on Saturday, 22nd September in the Radisson Hotel, Athlone, Westmeath. We also hosted a gala dinner on Friday evening during which the annual awards ceremony was held. Watch highlights on the day: ...
Published by MS Ireland on Saturday October 20 2018 10:54 AM
Almost 10,000 young readers expected to take part in the sponsored reading campaign helping people with MS We have launched the 31st MS Readathon, entering a new era for the sponsored reading initiative. We were joined by MS ambassador Jordan Byrne, 23, who is living with MS, charity partner Lei...
Published by MS Readathon Team on Thursday September 06 2018 10:12 AM
Briefing Document and Position Paper on the need for an MS registry in Ireland MS Ireland has produced a Briefing Document and Position Paper on the need to establish an MS Patient Registry in Ireland. The paper outlines: What patient registries are Why registries are important ...
Published by MS Ireland on Monday October 23 2017 09:23 AM
How to get involved We will join with individuals and organisations across the world to mark World MS Day on Wednesday, 31st of May. This is one of the highlights of our year when we come together to celebrate and empower the 9,000 people living with Multiple Sclerosis in Ireland. The them...
Published by MS Ireland on Friday May 05 2017 09:24 AM
Will YOUR photo make our 2017 calendar? Following on from last year's incredibly successful competition where we discovered that there are hundreds of talented photographers across the country, we're delighted to announce that we are on the hunt for images again! We are creating a 2017 calendar...
Published by MS Ireland on Friday July 29 2016 11:32 AM
MS Ireland has been approached by a production company, Tick Tock films, with the following request: “We are putting together a documentary about the legalisation of cannabis for medical use in Ireland. We are reaching out to people with MS in hopes that they can share their story with us....
Published by Tick Tock Production Company on Wednesday July 27 2016 11:23 AM
St Patrick’s Cathedral ‘Lighting up Blue’ for the 10th National Carers Week in Ireland Family Carers will have the opportunity to take part in events in every county this week as the 10th National Carers Week (13–19 June) is launched in Dublin today by Nuala Carey. Nation...
Published by Care Alliance Ireland on Monday June 13 2016 11:01 AM
Apply now to become a Director We are currently seeking candidates to go on to our panel of potential Board members. Members, branches, council, the board and staff may propose candidates. All nominations must be proposed and seconded by members. The nominating committee review the applica...
Published by MS Ireland on Friday March 11 2016 01:46 PM
Care Alliance Ireland launch factsheet for carers As part of National Carers Week 2015, Care Alliance Ireland launched a four-page factsheet on Family Carers in Ireland. The factsheet provides important information pulled from the 2011 Census and other sources. This information is provided in sh...
Published by Care Alliance Ireland on Friday July 03 2015 09:45 AM
MS community shouts out ‘Together we’re stronger than MS’ to announce World MS Day 2015 Multiple Sclerosis Ireland today announced World MS Day 2015, which will take place Wednesday May 27th under the banner ‘Together we’re stronger than MS’. Ireland’s w...
Published by MS Ireland on Friday May 08 2015 04:44 PM
New website launch Neurological Alliance Ireland (NAI) have launched a new website as part of the Love Your Brain campaign. The campaign aims to promote greater awareness and understanding of the brain and brain conditions as well as the need for more investment in services, research, and prevention. National Brain Awareness Week 11th - 17th March 2019. To find out more, visit Love Your Brain website includes events happening near you. Follow on twitter using the hashtag #loveyourbrain2019 #brainawarenessweek2019
On this Valentine’s Day when many of us choose to celebrate romantic love, Christina McDonald and Niall McGahon give us their take on MS and Romance. Christina We see it all around us. On the streets, in movies and in songs, love and romance. They are everyone’s desire at some point. I was diagnosed at 26 in the common age range for an MS diagnosis (20s-40s). These are also the years seen as someone’s prime years- in college, looking for love, perhaps settling in with someone, building a career, getting married and all the typical life-steps. MS at times has changed how I view myself as a woman. Questions constantly loom such as “am I a burden for my partner?” or “am I still attractive when my symptoms peak?” or “have I embarrassed you in public? “Am I still fun to be around when my fatigue is bad? Sometimes I wish I could be more spontaneous and that I had more energy like I used to before MS. It can be difficult to maintain a romantic relationship when you’re living with MS but with two people who compromise and understand the difficulties that may arise from MS, they can plan around what suits their needs and keep the spark alight. The thing is, I am not my disease, I am not MS. While those questions might go through my mind, I know that when my partner looks at me, she still sees the person that she fell in love with and not the condition. Although we might not go out for date nights as much as we used to, we still make a joint effort in bringing a date night to us. This includes nights in with a movie and takeaway - Netflix and chilling out. We tend to do things earlier so that I have more energy. Compromise is key for myself and my partner when it comes to MS and romance. I see myself as lucky because I had found “the one” before my diagnosis so I didn’t have to worry about how to tell someone I’m dating about my condition. My partner has been with me every step of the way. Niall’s Perspective I think it’s fair to be said most men don’t live up to the Hollywood romance and the way it’s sometimes portrayed but god do we try our best! By the time of my diagnosis at the age of 34, I had met my beautiful wife and we were 4 years married. We now have a beautiful son and another on the way. Like Christina, I never had to go through the process of having to tell someone about my condition. I thank god every day for that because without my wife going through this process with me, I don’t think I would be as strong as I am now. One of the definitions I found for Romance was: “feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life” Quite apt for both MS and romance with a loved one. The illness fills your head full of mystery about the future and sometimes pulls you back and isolates you into a remote-ness from your everyday life. MS gives you a kick in the nuts, excuse the pun, from an in-timacy perspective. I’ve found myself questioning myself on countless occasions “Jesus you’re useless…”, “how embarrassing…” and as time progresses this can eat at you and sometimes it’s easier not to try. Thankfully I get a kick up the ass and get pulled out of whatever dark room I may have entered. All because the person who, 13 years ago filled my head full of mystery of what could be, of excitement of what was to come, took me to a remote place that was only her and I. To me romance is not necessarily about the big gestures; it may have been that a few years ago. Sometimes the smallest of things can be the most romantic. The spontaneous back and foot rub, the dinner made or simply the holding of hands. These all may seem the easiest for most. However when you have little feeling in your dominant hand these tasks become even more challenging but more enjoyable and appreciated when they are done. Christina is right, Netflix and chilling on our own sofa is a bloody good date night too! My perspective on life with MS is about team work. Like Christina, we are not MS, it doesn’t define us. We have the full understanding that the love that we first found all those years ago is not going to be broken by MS, we are only going to get stronger. Ro-mance is not dead, it has just taken on a different form and that’s ok because it will never disappear.
Research Request What is Parental self-efficacy? Parental self-efficacy describes the beliefs one has of their ability to manage and perform the role of parenting successfully. Who is carrying out this study? Rachel Mc Laughlin is a 4th-year Occupational Therapy student in NUI Galway. This research is being completed with a final year university project. This study will run between January and April, 2019. Aim of study Your participation in this study will add to knowledge on how MS can affect parents, specifically through levels of fatigue and parental self-efficacy. It is hoped that this information will lead to an improvement in health services in the future. Who can participate A parent with MS with a child/children between 2-18 years old? If you are interested in participating in a study looking at the impact of fatigue on parenting please read the information sheet to find out more about this study and if you are eligible to participate Get in touch Contact the researcher at r.mclaughlin5@nuigalway.ie who will happily answer any questions that you may have.
We are so excited to announce that we have teamed up with Emma Larkin, a jewellery designer who is based in Galway. Emma has designed these small little kisses to wear on your lovely lobes. So now you can show your support and help us Kiss Goodbye to MS! Emma is supporting our Kiss Goodbye to MS campaign as MS is a condition that she has been surrounded by for her whole life. Emma’s mum was diagnosed with MS before she was born. “I am aware of the good and the bad days that MS can bring but I think trying to have a positive attitude, can go a long way. My mum has been a great support in my life so it means a lot for me to take part in this Kiss Goodbye MS campaign”. Emma has recently started her own jewellery business and her work is on sale both online and in selected shops. You can check out more of Emma’s amazing designs here. So what are you waiting for? These stunning Kiss Goodbye to MS lip earrings are subtle and add a touch of glamour to your everyday! So head to our shop or call one of our team on 01 6781620 to place your order today! Our earrings are priced at €11.00 including post and packaging. 50% of the cost will do directly to Kiss Goodbye to MS.
Research Request We have been approached by a postgraduate student of psychology at Trinity College who is researching whether young people aged 14 -18 years who live with chronic pain have different worries and beliefs about worry, from their counterparts who do not live with chronic pain. Aim of study This study is the first step in understanding beliefs about pain and about worry in a sample of adolescents, who experience chronic pain, and to compare and contrast this with a sample of adolescents who do not experience pain. Get in touch If this is a study you would like to take part in, please email Aoife aoifek@ms-society.ie
Can you imagine the adrenalin rush after jumping out of a plane at 10,000FT? Well wonder no more! Sign up to our Skydive for MS in 2019 and find out for yourself!
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20 February 2019: Support group for people living with MS in the Newmarket area
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