At our recent National Conference, we were delighted to name athletics legend Michael McKillop as our first Epilepsy Ireland Ambassador.
The role of Epilepsy Ireland Ambassador was created by our board in December 2024. It is a voluntary, honorary role – with the objective of bringing visibility and positive public attention to the condition of epilepsy and the work of Epilepsy Ireland.
Michael is one of Ireland’s most decorated athletes – winning gold medals in middle distance competitions at the Beijing, London, and Rio Paralympic games – before retiring from competition in 2021 at the age of 31. He was also a nine-time world champion and amassed several world records over his career.
Michael was born with cerebral palsy and was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 14. Over the past several years, he has become increasingly involved in the work of Epilepsy Ireland.
This has included running the running the Dublin City Marathon in support of our work; representing Epilepsy Ireland on the RTÉ series Ultimate Hell Week, and more recently, Michael has been involved in the "My Moving Brain" series of events highlighting why conditions like epilepsy do not have to a barrier to a person’s participation in sport.
Michael has worked to highlight epilepsy in the media and has regularly taken to social media to share his experiences of living with the condition – including when experiencing breakthrough seizures; and the importance of knowing the vital information of TIME, SAFE, STAY.
Commenting on his appointment as an Epilepsy Ireland Ambassador, Michael said:
People who live with epilepsy can achieve their life goals, even if epilepsy brings additional challenges. It is important to show people that there should not be any limits because of conditions such as epilepsy. I was delighted to be approached about becoming an Epilepsy Ireland ambassador, and even more delighted to accept the invitation.
With his remarkable career, ongoing passion for sport, and talent for inspiring others as a motivational speaker, Michael is the perfect fit as our first Epilepsy Ireland ambassador. Speaking about Michael’s appointment, our CEO Peter Murphy said:
We’re really excited to have Michael step into this new role and we look forward to working with him to help advance our vision of a society where no person’s life is limited by epilepsy. His voice will help shine a light on the strength and resilience of people living with epilepsy, and the importance of ensuring that no-one faces it alone.
While Michael is our first ambassador, we hope to appoint additional ambassadors in the coming months and years to continue to help raise awareness of epilepsy and amplify our key messages.
If you are someone living in the public eye and have a lived experience of epilepsy and/ or would like to use your profile to increase public awareness and understanding of epilepsy, please get in touch with our team today to find out more! Contact Epilepsy Ireland’s Advocacy & Communications Manager Paddy McGeoghegan by emailing pmcgoeghegan@epilepsy.ie. You can also learn more about the Ambassador role by visiting the 'About Us' section of our website.
It is important to note that while we hope to have several Epilepsy Ireland ambassadors in future, there is still only one EI Patron - RTÉ broadcaster Rick O’Shea - who has done more than anyone over the past 20 years to lead the way. Rick has warmly welcomed the new Ambassador role, saying he’s excited to see Michael join the team and help inspire, support, and raise awareness for people living with epilepsy.
We look forward to continuing our work with Rick, Michael and hopefully many others to advance our journey towards a society where no person’s life is limited by epilepsy.
If you need any information or support around your or a loved one's epilepsy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the 'Our Local Services' section of our website.