Actor Domhnall’s plea to North Tipperary public

North Tipperary Hospice Movement takes part in fundraiser

Domhnall Gleeson is urging people across North Tipperary to host coffee mornings next month to help raise €2 million for extraordinary hospice services. The Hollywood star is supporting Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning Social for Hospice, a fundraising drive which has generated €43.2 million since 1992.

He joined hospice hosts and volunteers at the iconic Bewley’s café on Grafton Street recently and asked everyone in Ireland to host or support this year’s event on September 21.

Both of Domhnall’s grandparents – his father Brendan’s parents - spent their final days in St Francis Hospice in Dublin. “My grandma (Pat) was only there for a few weeks and that was my first experience of being around a hospice,” said the Harry Potter and Star Wars actor.

“I was incredibly close to her and I was struck by the atmosphere of care and kindness. She had a rough journey before she got there - and all of a sudden, that difficult road seemed less punishing to travel.”

He recalled thinking she seemed as safe and cared for as possible.

“It was such a relief,” he said.

“In terms of my granddad (Francis), we had been looking after him for a long time, probably about a year, and didn’t think he was going to last that long in hospice, but he was there for months.

“The care was extraordinary, but he had a new lease of life, it (hospice care) gives their body the care it needs and makes them feel special.”

He told how Francis constantly joked with staff who, he said, see beyond the illness or life-limiting condition.

“So I am asking everyone in North Tipperary on September 21, or whenever suits them, to organise, support or donate to a coffee morning, wherever it might be held.”

Now in its 31st year, organisers hope to raise €2 million in 2023, returning the countrywide fundraiser to pre-Covid levels and bringing the total raised since its inception beyond the €45 million mark.

Together for Hospice, The National Hospice Movement, represents 26 hospice and specialist palliative home care providers supporting patients and their families. Funds raised locally stay local and go back into each hospice service, helping to pay for medical and general staff, palliative care beds, home care visits, specialist equipment and new hospice builds.

Communities right across North Tipperary are urged to simply gather a group on September 21 to help raise much needed funds to support the work of North Tipperary Hospice Movement, North Tipperary.

Eileen Kennedy, of North Tipperary Hospice Movement, said: “We are delighted Bewley’s Big Coffee Morning Social for Hospice, which is one of Ireland’s longest and most loved fundraisers, is now entering its fourth decade of raising funds in support of Hospice in-patient and community services around Ireland.

“It is a chance to celebrate our many coffee morning hosts across the county, who are an incredible testament to the dedication and committed nature of Hospice supporters in local communities. This ongoing support is invaluable and funds vital services and quality initiatives enhancing care for patients living with a life limiting illness.”

FURTHER DETAILS

You can register to host a coffee morning on September 21, or on a date that suits them, by visiting hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996. If you cannot host or attend one, you can make a donation at hospicecoffeemorning.ie/donate.