Epilepsy Ireland is an Irish

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

that provides support, information and advice to people with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

. Founded in 1966, the organisation is based in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, with nine regional offices throughout Ireland.

History

The organisation was founded as the Irish Epilepsy Association on following an inaugural meeting held in the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

Kildare Street Kildare Street () is a street in Dublin, Ireland. Location Kildare Street is close to the principal shopping area of Grafton Street and Dawson Street, to which it is joined by Molesworth Street. Trinity College lies at the north end of t ...

among various physicians including Dr. John Bergin ( Stewarts Hospital), Mr. George Burden (secretary general for the

International Bureau for Epilepsy The International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) is a non-for-profit started in 1961 which aims to improve the social condition and quality of life of people with epilepsy. The organization addresses social problems such as employment, education, driv ...

and general secretary for the British Epilepsy Association), Dr. Peter Fahy (consultant psychiatrist for the student health service of

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

) and Professor Patrick A. McNally (

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

of Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and senior physician at

Mercer's Hospital Mercer's Hospital () was a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was converted into a clinical centre and medical library for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1991.Seán Flanagan Seán Flanagan (26 January 1922 – 5 February 1993) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and Gaelic footballer who served as Minister for Health from 1966 to 1969, Minister for Lands from 1969 to 1973 and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minis ...

in the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin. It was organised by the charity and was attended by more than 400 doctors, social workers and employers. The minister emphasised the importance of early diagnosis and educating the general public about the condition. As of March 1980, there were about 2,500 members and the registered address was at

Dawson Street Dawson Street (; ) is a street on the southern side of central Dublin, running from St Stephen's Green to the walls of Trinity College Dublin. It is the site of the residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, the Mansion House, Dublin, Mansion House. ...

. The charity was registered as a company on 16 September 1980 as Brainwave - The Irish Epilepsy Association and is recorded on the charity register as the official name of the organisation. On 7 February 2013, the organisation was rebranded as Epilepsy Ireland.

Current board members

*Chairperson: Cathy Grieve *Secretary: Clare O'Dea *Treasurer: Paul Kehoe *Helen Behan *Paul Fahey *Mary Fitzsimons *Ambrose Kealy *Dr Anne Kilroy *Prof Mary King *Nicola Saarsteiner *Mark Curran *Aaron Chalke *Nicola Nagle *Anne Maguire A former board member of Brainwave, the predecessor to Epilepsy Ireland, was the late Joe Doyle. A life-long epileptic, he was also the first leader of a council in Ireland to have epilepsy. *Patron: Rick O'Shea

Ongoing campaigns

*Free travel for those with epilepsy - Resolved *Reasonable accommodations for those who suffer seizures during state examinations - Resolved *Amendments to Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill to address those with Photosensitive Epilepsy - Resolved *Advocacy for new anti-epileptic drugs including CBD to help prevent seizures, Epidyolex and Cenobamat *Campaign for historical inquiry for those patients or families affected by Sodium Valporate (Epilim) *SAFE: Time, Safe, Stay *Purple Day, Rose Week, International Epilepsy Day and Brain Awareness Week

References

External links

Official website
Charities based in the Republic of Ireland Epilepsy organizations Medical and health organisations based in the Republic of Ireland {{Philanthropy-org-stub