At MS Ireland, our work would not be possible without the dedication, compassion, and generosity of our volunteers. In this podcast, we are proud to highlight the remarkable contributions of five outstanding individuals whose support continues to make a difference across our organisation.

Maurice O’Connor

Maurice has been a valued member of our Board of Directors and continues to contribute his time and expertise in various ways. He plays a vital role in advancing our capital projects and national initiatives, such as the MS Ireland National Conference. Maurice also lends his voice and insights to our community through his role as a podcast host—bringing stories and information to life.

Paul Hatton

We are delighted to introduce Paul Hatton from Perrigo. Perrigo has been one of the most significant financial supporters of our MS Care Centre for many years. Beyond generous donations, Perrigo have provided volunteer support, spearheaded by Paul himself. Paul’s commitment as a donor, volunteer, and advocate exemplifies true partnership and enduring friendship with our Care Centre.

Lorna Preston

Lorna is one of our newest befriending volunteers at the MS Ireland Care Centre in Rathgar. She dedicates her time during the week to support residents, assisting them with activities and outings in and around Dublin. Her warm and caring presence is already making a positive impact in the lives of those staying at the Centre.

Rebecca Maguire

Rebecca has volunteered with MS Ireland since 2019, serving on our Board of Directors and as Chairperson of the Research, Information and Communications Committee. As an Associate Professor of Psychology at Maynooth University, Rebecca has contributed her extensive academic expertise to help us evaluate our services and guide the development of new, evidence-based supports.

Jillian O’Sullivan

Jillian has been a cornerstone of the MS Ireland South Kerry Branch for many years. Serving as Treasurer, she manages the branch’s finances while also using her skills as an experienced event planner to organise vibrant social events for people with MS in her local community. Her dedication has helped foster connection and joy for many.

For more information on volunteering with MS Ireland go to https://www.ms-society.ie/get-involved/volunteer

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In the ninth episode of the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Webinar Series, Robert Joyce interviews Dr Jonathan Egan to learn how to find purpose in life.

Robert Joyce was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS in 1992 and now has Secondary Progressive MS. He has a blog and podcast where he shares his experience of living with MS and chronic pain (www.a30minutelife.com).

Dr Jonathan Egan is an academic and chartered health and clinical psychologist. He has also trained in both attachment and affect phobia therapies. His research has been in relation to trauma, its effect on a person's psychophysiological well-being. His other clinical and research interest is in how our own learned internal models of relationships which we learn in childhood can affect both professional caregivers and in people who are diagnosed with chronic health conditions and whether they can learn to improve their ability to seek help effectively (without shame) in order to receive effective care and to be 'met as a person' who is an expert by-experience in their own health status and needs.

https://www.ms-society.ie/

https://twitter.com/MSIRELAND/

https://www.facebook.com/MultipleSclerosisIreland/

https://www.instagram.com/multiple_sclerosis_ireland

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Living with MS can have a big impact on work life and/or the education journey. In this episode of MS Explored – The Podcast, Aoife Kirwan is joined by Lauren McAuley and Keith Byrne who are both living with MS and by career psychologist Sinead Brady to discuss the supports and resources that are available to people living with MS, as well as tips on how and when to talk to your employer about your diagnosis.

The views, information or opinions expressed during MS Explored – The Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of MS Ireland or Novartis Ireland Ltd. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. This podcast is supported by funding from Novartis Ireland Ltd.

If you have been affected by any of the content in the series please contact your healthcare professional or the MS Ireland Information line on 1850 233 233.

MS Ireland – The Podcast is a partnership between the MS Ireland and Novartis Ireland Ltd. For more information go to MS-Society.ie.

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Having MS doesn’t just affect the person living with it, it can hugely impact the lives of their family and loved ones too. In this episode of MS Explored – The Podcast, Aoife Kirwan is joined by Sharon Henvey who is living with MS, MS Fellow Dr Maria Gaughan, MS nurse specialist Sinead Jordan and clinical psychologist Dr Eddie Murphy to explore the challenges faced by people living with MS and how they can communicate their diagnosis to loved ones.

The views, information or opinions expressed during MS Explored – The Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of MS Ireland or Novartis Ireland Ltd. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. This podcast is supported by funding from Novartis Ireland Ltd.

If you have been affected by any of the content in the series please contact your healthcare professional or the MS Ireland Information line on 1850 233 233.

MS Ireland – The Podcast is a partnership between the MS Ireland and Novartis Ireland Ltd. For more information go to MS-Society.ie.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A diagnosis of MS can be overwhelming, and the treatment journey is different for every person with MS. In the first episode of MS Explored – The Podcast, host Aoife Kirwan is joined by consultant neurologist Dr Lisa Costello and Laura Lee who was diagnosed with MS ten years ago, to break down a diagnosis of MS, discuss what the future might look like and how to best manage your condition.

The views, information and opinions expressed during MS Explored – The Podcast are solely those of the individuals involved and do not represent those of MS Ireland or Novartis Ireland Ltd. The primary purpose of this podcast series is to educate and inform and is not a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment. The podcast is supported by funding from Novartis Ireland Ltd.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the eighth episode of the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Webinar Series, Robert Joyce interviews Prof Susan Coote to learn how we can use physiotherapy to help progressive MS.

Robert Joyce was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS in 1992 and now has Secondary Progressive MS. He has a blog and podcast where he shares his experience of living with MS and chronic pain (www.a30minutelife.com).

Dr Susan Coote is a physiotherapist specialising in neurological rehabilitation. For over 15 years she led the MS research team at UL researching the benefits of exercise and physical activity to reduce symptom severity and improve quality of life for people with neurological conditions living in the community.

Prof Coote has published over 70 research papers and received over €1.5m in research funding supervising many PhD students in the area of exercise and MS.

She currently works in MS Ireland running projects funded by SlainteCare integration fund, the Social Innovation Fund and Disability Services which implement into practice the research findings and learnings of the benefits of exercise.

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In the seventh episode of the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Webinar Series, Robert Joyce interviews Dr Una FitzGerald to learn about research into MS in Ireland.

During the interview Una mentioned two studies and these are the links.

PMSMatTrain (which stands for progressive MS-Material-Training): https://pmsmattrain.eu/

AIMS-RN (which stands for All-Ireland MS Research Network): https://aims-rn.org/

Robert Joyce was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS in 1992 and now has Secondary Progressive MS. He has a blog and podcast where he shares his experience of living with MS and chronic pain (www.a30minutelife.com).

Dr FitzGerald's research focus is on developing an understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. After graduating from NUI Galway with a BE (Industrial) in 1983 and an MSc in Biotechnology in 1985, she worked in the biotech sector for five years before returning to academia to copmlete a PhD in molecular biology at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. Dr FitzGerald returned to Ireland in 2003, taking up a lectureship in biomedical engineering at NUIG in 2005. Since then the main focus of the FitzGerald group has been multiple scelosis and other brain disorders including Parkinson's disease. The group has also studied the normal development of the cerebellum.

Dr FitzGerald is the Director of the Galway Neuroscience and she represents MS Ireland on the MS International Federation's International Medical and Scientific Board. She has also recently joined the committee of the Dementia and Neurodegeneratin Network, Ireland. Since May 2019, she is coordinating a €3.9 million EU-funded project that aims to work with researchers from Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and the Czech Republic to create new devices and treatments for multiple sclerosis.

In effort to reduce the negative impact that lab research has on the enviroment, Dr FitzGerald initiated the 'Galway Green Labs' effort at NUIG, triggering the implmentation green practices the CÚRAM lab, in preparation for green lab certification' (see mygreenlab.org), which was awarded in late 2019. For more information on this achievement, watch our documentary movie 'The time to green our labs is now' (https://vimeo.com/375847945).

https://www.ms-society.ie/

https://twitter.com/MSIRELAND/

https://www.facebook.com/MultipleSclerosisIreland/

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In the six episode of the Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Webinar Series, Robert Joyce interviews Dr Jonathan Egan to learn how the carer and support the cared.

Robert Joyce was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS in 1992 and now has Secondary Progressive MS. He has a blog and podcast where he shares his experience of living with MS and chronic pain (www.a30minutelife.com).

Dr Jonathan Egan is an academic and chartered health and clinical psychologist. He has also trained in both attachment and affect phobia therapies. His research has been in relation to trauma, its effect on a person's psychophysiological well-being. His other clinical and research interest is in how our own learned internal models of relationships which we learn in childhood can affect both professional caregivers and in people who are diagnosed with chronic health conditions and whether they can learn to improve their ability to seek help effectively (without shame) in order to receive effective care and to be 'met as a person' who is an expert by-experience in their own health status and needs.

https://www.ms-society.ie/

https://twitter.com/MSIRELAND/

https://www.facebook.com/MultipleSclerosisIreland/

https://www.instagram.com/multiple_sclerosis_ireland

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.