MS Ireland was delighted to host the 2013 National Meeting in Galway on the 28th of September. In addition to providing lots of information about aspects of MS we also held our AGM, elected a new board and announced our national award winners.
Presentations and Panel Discussion
Dr Susan Coote kicked things off with a presentation about keeping active. She outlined some simple ways to remain as active as possible regardless of ability. Her advice was to start small, stand more than sit and set short-terms goals as well as long term.
We were delighted to welcome Professor Alan Thompson to speak about his recent work on progressive forms of MS. Professor Thompson gave an overview of the various pieces of research currently taking place and outlined the future work of the new Alliance.
Trevis Gleason hosted a panel discussion which covered employment, exercise, being online and volunteering with MS Ireland. Willeke, Grace, Anne-Marie and Mark (all people with MS) spoke about how they approached these subjects.
View Presentations from Professor Alan Thompson | Dr Susan Coote | Panel Discussion hosted by Trevis Gleason
Professor Alan Thompson, Institute of Neurology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London
‘Putting Your Priorities First – Driving The Progressive Agenda’: A look at new and exciting research in progressive forms of MS. View presentation here (1 hour 4mins)
Dr Susan Coote, Lecturer, Physiotherapy Department, University of Limerick
‘The Benefits of Being Active’: A practical overview of strategies and resources to remain as active as possible. View presentation here (51mins)
Trevis Gleason hosts a panel discussion covering employment, exercise, being online and volunteering.
View Panel Discussion Part 1
View Panel Discussion Part 2
View Panel Discussion Part 3
View Question Time
National Awards
The highlight of the day was the presentation of the three national awards. These awards are given to those who demonstrate courage, dedication and great care for those around them. We were delighted to present the 2013 awards to these fantastic women:
MS Person of the Year: Elsie Ryan
Volunteer of the Year: Ronnie Jackson
Carer of the Year: Catherine Carey
AGM
Board Elections
Manfred Huschka was re-elected to the Board and Edel O’Kelly joins for the first time. Edel a qualified solicitor, working for a large firm in Dublin. Her mother has MS.
Joe Cahill and Sean Murphy stepped down and we would like to thank them for their diligent and passionate service to the Board of MS Ireland. Sean was and will continue to be a vital volunteer in the Cork City voluntary Branch and Joe, an ex health services employee and consultant, will continue to support the work of MS Ireland.
Review of 2012
The chair of the finance committee gave an update on the financial status of MS Ireland. The Chief Executive gave an overview of the activities of MS last year. She encouraged us to celebrate the combined work of the organisation and reflect on the real difference we make to people with MS and their families.
View of AGM Annual Review presentation
Read our 2012 Annual report and consolidated accounts
Calendar
Our 2014 calendar was officially launched at our National Meeting Day and is available through our online shop and a number of retailers nationwide