We cannot continue to tell families who are living through unimaginable challenges (…) that there is simply no money and we must go through more HSE processes.
Senator Aubrey McCarthy, 07 May 2025 in the Oireachtas
Organisations such as Teach an Saol are invaluable to the disability sector. I do not say that lightly. I say it because I believe it. Politicians in the Upper House and the Lower House will try to pursue the Departments to ensure they are proactive, progress solutions and deliver the outcomes the Senator has requested.
Minister Niamh Smyth, T.D., 07 May 2025 in the Oireachtas

The Seanad

Have a look at that picture above with Pádraig in Seanad Éireann. There we are, left to right, Senator Aubrey McCarthy, Minister Niamh Smyth, Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, myself, and Pat.

Senator McCarthy had tabled a commencement matter, asking the Minister of Health about her and her Department’s engagement with the An Saol Foundation. Jennifer Carroll MacNeill was busy and sent Minister of State, Niambh Smyth, to answer Senator McCarthy’s question on her behalf.

Senator McCarthy had invited us to attend the sitting of the Seanad to hear his question and the Minister’s response first hand.

The question hit the nail on the head, the answer was promising.

But not more.

For completeness: it should be said that Minister Niamh Smyth is a Minister of State, a “Junior” Minister, at the Department of Trade, Enterprise, and Employment with special responsibility for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. And this was her first ever appearance in the Seanad, just like our own.

She did really well which was perhaps helped by the fact that she did face less than a handful of Senators. Apart from Senator McCarty, Senator Mary Fitzpatrick, a long term supporter of the An Saol Foundation, was also present. Anne Rabbitte, who had promised the earth to An Saol when she was Minister for Disability (“You find the land and I will give you the money to build Teach An Saol”), was nowhere to be seen.

Click here to read the transcript and here to watch the Oireachtas Commencement Matter video recording of 07 May 2025.

A big THANK YOU to Senators McCarthy and Fitzpatrick for their firm and ongoing support for the An Saol Foundation and our Teach An Saol project! And, of course, to Councillor Gayle Ralph who had encouraged Senator McCarthy to visit the An Saol Foundation.

The Park

During the week, Pádraig, like the rest of us, enjoyed the fantastic weather with blue skies and not a cloud to be seen.

No better week than this to head off to the park right beside the An Saol Foundation in Santry to check out the brilliant, accessible exercise equipment Dublin City Council has installed there and in many other parks around the City.

Remember the outrageous incident when his HSE OT and her HSE OT Manager (who had never met Pádraig) stopped the only Reck MOTOmed supplier in Ireland to sell us a MOTOmed with an arm trainer? And we had to buy it in and ship it to Ireland from Germany? – Never mind making it available from HSE stock as they could have?

They said it would be too dangerous for Pádraig to use it because his shoulder was subluxed. Check out the photos above: Pádraig doesn’t need a motor-supported arm trainer anymore. He can use a manual arm trainer, even those pretty standard models in Dublin’s parks. Humongous progress, not thanks to the established health professionals but thanks to his incredible determination.

A Million Steps and 860 Kilometres

In a pretty busy week with lots of highlights, this one was without a shadow of a doubt the most outstanding one.

Our records show that in the past few years, Pádraig took 1, 079,034 steps walking, equalling 860,248 metres, in the Lokomat.

That is distance similar to walking the French Camino. Twice. Or walking all the way over to Germany.

It’s outstanding, an incredible achievement, and more than reason enough for a big celebration.

I wish Ministers, politicians, and civil servants were as consistent and proactive in their efforts and determined to progress solutions and deliver the outcomes.

Pádraig, those living lives like his, their families and friends, they not just deserve, they have a right to all the support they require to live their lives with their severe Acquired Brain Injury (sABI).

Act. Expressions of support and promises are not enough.