Our History

Hope Ireland was founded in 2015 by the late disability rights activist Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick OBE. Kevin was a celebrated academic, visionary and leader in the disability rights field. Kevin hosted the inaugural Hope Ireland conference which was held in the RDS in 2015, and was addressed by Irish and international experts from the fields of medicine, disability rights, and law. You can view an RTÉ News report from the conference here.

Following Kevin’s untimely death, Hope Ireland has continued to host occasional events on end of life matters, and has been a strong and positive voice against the introduction euthanasia and assisted suicide in Ireland.

Our most recent events include a 2020 webinar featuring Prof Des O’Neill, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Dr Sinéad Donnelly. This event can be viewed here.

In 2021 we hosted an  online conference, featuring disability rights advocates, mental health professionals, and palliative medicine specialists. Speakers included Joan Freeman, Baroness Ilora Finlay, and Elma Walsh. You can watch the conference here.