Members Meeting and Respite Weekend
HDAI's 2025 Members Meeting
HDAI’s 2025 Members Meeting & AGM will take place on Saturday 24th May at the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe, Co Galway.
For further will be available shortly or you can email info@huntingtons.ie
Feedback on past meetings from participants included:
Carer “Superb [Carer's] workshop. Excellently and empathetically facilitated by [Family Support Officer]. Space provided for members to share openly and honestly in a confidential safe environment”
Patrick "A great sense of being together with people who have the same level of HD. A great sense of camaraderie with all including speaker."
K & S "Excellent weekend. An opportunity to meet people and just chat and/or get advice. The talks were great. Informing us of the bigger picture and what's happening on the medical front"
Mary & Ed "We had a ball, good food, good crowd and an interesting meeting, Thank you all’."
Prof. Mike Conneally "A wonderful weekend; ideal place for a meeting – great to see so many old friends."
Anonymous "This was my first time to attend this lovely meeting and gathering of family and friends of HD. I hope to be here again next year. A great experience to talk with and chat with people who care."
Olive "Thanks a million for opening the door for me and many others in future."
Previous Events
2024 - Guest speakers included Dr Timothy Counihan, Neurologist, Galway University Hospital and Dr. Tom Burke, Principal Specialist Clinical Neuropsychologist at Galway University Hospital.
2023 - Guest Speakers included: Dr Ian Daly, Clinical Director and Dr Kieran O’Driscoll, Consultant Psychiatrist, Bloomfield Hospital. Dr Tom Burke, Senior Clinical Neuropsychologist facilitated a workshop on Practical wellbeing strategies from ACT for HD See Q2 2023 for a report.
2022 - Guest Speakers included: Minister Anne Rabbitte who met with many family members and listened to concerns raised. She acknowledged the need for specialist services and thanked the Huntington’s Association for its work in supporting families and advocating for better services. Colm Peelo, PhD Researcher gave a comprehensive talk on Neuropsychology in HD and spoke about HD research studies in Beaumont and TCD. Feedback included “Clear, concise and so easily understood. A good mix of information and fun”. Caroline McDonagh, Nutritionist, Life & Health Coach gave a talk on Nourishing your Body and Mind. See Newsletter Q3 22 report
2019 - June Guest Speakers: Muthu Thangaramanujam, B. Physio, Dip. ST., MISCP, Senior Physiotherapist at Bloomfield Health Services delivered an engaging talk on “Physiotherapy in HD: Strategies for Self-management”. Anne Lennon Bird, family member and Ireland’s HD Cope representative spoke about HD Cope.
2018 - June 8th -10th, Cuisle Holiday Centre. Guest Speakers: Michaela Hammond, Research Assistant and Enroll-HD Co-ordinator, Beaumont Hospital; Maire Duff, Genetic Counsellor, Dept. of Clinical Genetics, Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Dublin and Anne Lennon Bird, Ireland HD Cope representative. See newsletter report
2017 - June 9th - 11th, Cuisle Holiday Centre. Guest Speakers: Dr Emma Yhnell, Neuroscience Institute, Cardiff University, Aine Ennis, Social Worker Bloomfield Hospital Services and Caroline, a family member impacted by HD - see newsletter report
2016 members meeting with Jimmy Pollard, International HD Speaker and author of Hurry Up and Wait -see HDAI's Q2 16 newsletter for a summary of the event.
Cuisle Closure
The Cuisle Centre, where HDAI's annual event was held for twenty years, closed unexpectedly at the end of 2019.
HDAI hosted an annual Members Meeting and respite weekend for people with HD, family members and carers at the Cuisle IWA Respite Centre, Donammon, Co. Roscommon in June each year for twenty years. Regrettably the centre closed in November 2019 despite a well supported campaign calling for it to remain open.
