Associate Professor Sarah Donnelly, from UCD School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, was invited to give the prestigious Willie Bermingham Memorial Lecture at this year’s Irish Gerontological Society Conference in Athlone on ‘Ageism, Human Rights and Growing Old with Dignity’.

She was also awarded the ALONE Willie Bermingham Medal in recognition of her work in this area. Previous recipients include President Mary Robinson, Seamus Heaney and Dr Mike Ryan of the World Health Organisation. Sarah (centre) is pictured with Bibiana Savin (left) of Sage Advocacy and Dr Emer Ahearn (right), President of the Irish Gerontological Society. 

The Willie Bermingham Lecture, which is sponsored by ALONE, is the keynote address at the Annual and Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society. The theme of the lecture is reflective of the guest speaker’s special interests and perspectives on ageing and older people. In recent years lecturers have covered interests, concerns and challenges over a broad range of topics including medicine, economics, social policy and law.

In 1977, Willie Bermingham founded ALONE (A Little Offering Never Ends), an organisation which highlighted the plight of old forgotten individuals who were living in squalid neglect in Dublin. He founded the charity after finding several people dead in appalling conditions through his work as a firefighter.

He undertook his ALONE project on a voluntary basis, whilst still holding down his job in Dublin Fire Brigade. Many colleagues joined him as volunteers. As news spread of the work, the organisation grew. Although it has become a relatively large organisation, the focus on older people as individuals has never changed.

Willie Bermingham received a People of the Year award in 1979. In 1985, he was awarded the International Firefighter of the Year award. In 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law by Trinity College, Dublin. Willie Bermingham died after a short illness in 1990. However, the foundations he laid has ensured that ALONE is still an active charity in Ireland. It supports housing and befriending schemes as well as advocating for older people, and 100% of donations to ALONE go to front-line services.

Learn more and see previous IGS Willie Bermingham Lectures at www.irishgerontology.com/public-lectures.