PRESS RELEASE

Parkinson’s Awareness Week – Lifting the Lid on Parkinson’s disease

Series of activities to highlight difficulties experienced by the 12,000 people living with Parkinson’s in Ireland to include;

  • Almost 1,000 people attend a special Unity Walk;
  • the re-release by Richie Kavanagh of his famous single, Aon Focal Eile
  • a special auction of art from artist and fashion designer, Harold Huberman;
  • Nationwide media campaign to profile patients and their lives

This week marks Parkinson’s Awareness Week, a national awareness campaign organised by the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland (PAI) to lift the lid on Parkinson’s, to highlight the difficulties experienced by the 12,000 people in Ireland living with the disease, and to call for more support for them and their families.

The week kicked off with a Unity Walk in Dublin’s Merrion Square, attended by almost 1,000 people from all over Ireland - including the Lord Mayor of Dublin, CríonaNíDhálaigh. Richie Kavanagh, who has lived with Parkinson’s disease since 2008, performed his recently re-launched hit song Aon Focal Eile. He is encouraging all his supporters and those affected by Parkinson’s disease to show their support for the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease, which affects over 12,000 people in Ireland.Aon Focal Eile, which spent seven weeks at number one in the charts in 1996, is available online and in music stores now, with all proceeds going to the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, 13th April), a very special art auction will take place, with pieces of art being provided by Harold Huberman, a former fashion designer and artist, who also lives with Parkinson’s disease. All pieces sold on the night will go towards a fund for PAI. Harold is also the father of popular Irish actress Amy Huberman.

Creating awareness of the serious impact of Parkinson’s disease and the effect it has on so many people’s lives is vital, says Paula Gilmore, Chief Executive of the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland (PAI). “The high level of engagement with our members and their families around issues relating to Parkinson’s shows us not just the seriousness of the disease but also the importance to those who live with it of the need for proper access to services and treatments. The PAI receives no government funding and depends on donations to provide services through our 16 branches and national office in Dublin. We are seeing a significant increase in demand for our services, with increased calls for our nurse call-back and support line services. We are also receiving more requests for information, publications and access to education, but there are simply not enough resources to deal with the 12,000 people in Ireland who have to live with Parkinson’s every day.”

“We are calling on the newly-formed government to please put more focus on securing more resources, supporting the services offered by the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland and delivering the much-needed neurologists and nursing staff to alleviate the long waiting times for access to diagnosis and to treatment,” she said.

Todd Manning, General Manager of AbbVie Ireland, which is supporting the Parkinson’s Awareness Week, said there was an urgent need to make everyone aware of just how difficult living with Parkinson’s disease can be. “Parkinson’s is a growing reality for many people in Ireland and the response to this week’s activities only underlines that fact. We want to not just highlight the difficulties that people living with the disease go through every day, but also to applaud Ireland’s neurologists and front-line healthcare professionals who are doing incredible work in challenging conditions.”

“Shining a light on the difficulties experienced by people living with Parkinson’s disease can only help bring more solutions to bear, and groups like the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, are doing outstanding work in this area. We in AbbVie Ireland are proud to support them.”

The Parkinson's Unity Walk, as part of the Parkinson’s Awareness Week, and supported by Biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, took place on Sunday last (April 10th). Over the years, the annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk has gained momentum with over 1,000 people at this year’s event including Dublin’s Lord Mayor, CríonaNíDhálaigh. It travelled around Merrion Square and finished with refreshments and entertainment, including dancing, singing and poetry, led by dance teacher AilishClaffey, singers Richie Kavanagh, Thomas McNulty, actor Tom Hickey and poet Pauline McNulty.

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Notes to Editors:

About the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland (PAI)

The Parkinson’s Association of Ireland aims to help people with Parkinson's, their families and carers, and health professionals, by offering support and information on any aspect of living with Parkinson's. The Association also initiates and funds research into Parkinson's disease, and its causes and effects. For more information, see

Paula Gilmore

Chief Executive Officer

Parkinson’s Association Of Ireland