Speaking on Connemara Radio (full interview below) of why she is an ambassador for the 2023 MS Readathon, Ciara said “I can vividly remember the excitement that surrounded the arrival of the MS Readathon posters and cards to my primary school. The MS Readathon provides an opportunity for us to sit with the magic of books, and who doesn't need some magic in their lives".
“As a child, I looked forward to this event every year - the smell of new books, the adventures within the pages, the hope, the magic, and the escape that reading provided. That feeling of getting so lost within a book that you thought you were actually one of Enid Blyton's Famous Five.
“That little child had no idea what a full circle the MS Readathon would become within her life. That the sponsorship she so eagerly sought from family and friends to read the most books within the classroom, would be put towards services and supports that she would need to avail of later in her own life”.
“Books are a means of escape, hope and magic and what make the MS Readathon so special, for children and adults alike. For children it supports their literacy skills, their creativity and their imagination can run wild - and for adults, it allows the exact same.
“Through reading there is hope, and through the MS Readathon there comes hope for better services, better resources and an eventual cure for people living with MS. That is why I am so delighted to be taking part in the 'Grown Up Readathon' this year”.
MS Readathon Ambassador Ciara O Meara on Connemara FM
“I can vividly remember the excitement that surrounded the arrival of the MS Readathon posters and cards to my primary school. The MS Readathon provides an opportunity for us to sit with the magic of books, and who doesn't need some magic in their lives".
The fundraising campaign has been popular amongst the schoolchildren of Ireland, but over the last few years MS Ireland is encouraging ‘grown up’ readers to take part and get their offices, clubs, and families to rediscover their love of reading.
Every year, the MS Readathon raises thousands of euros whilst assisting children to greatly improve their literacy skills and encourage participants to foster a lasting love of reading. Anybody young and old can sign up to participate from https://www.msreadathon.ie.