We recently marked an important milestone—13 years of LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice. We celebrated with cake, music and a speech from our Director of Nursing, Anne-Marie Carroll. A very special guest, Cian, cut the birthday cake, making the day all the more memorable.
LauraLynn was officially formed in 2011, following the merging of the long-standing Children’s Sunshine Home and the LauraLynn Foundation, founded by Jane and Brendan McKenna. Since then, we’ve been Ireland’s only children’s hospice, offering vital palliative care and support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. We also provide local disability services from our Leopardstown campus in Dublin, as well as community-based support through our Community Hospice Teams in Mallow, Co. Cork, and Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and in Dublin.
Over the past 13 years, we’ve had the privilege of caring for more than 820 families, supporting not only the children but also their parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended family members.
In 2023 alone, LauraLynn made a significant impact:
- Cared for 310 children and their families
- Provided monthly support to 128 families
- Created a ‘community of care’ for 575 families
- Offered 1,804 nights of in-hospice care
- Dedicated 50,885 hours of specialist hospice care
We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to LauraLynn over the last 13 years, from staff, volunteers, donors and, of course, central to everything we do, our families.
