top of page

Blogs

Search

Family Genomics at the My Moving Brain final gathering

  • familygenomics
  • Mar 27
  • 3 min read

On 24th March 2026, we were delighted to attend the My Moving Brain event one last time at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) in Dublin. Lorna, Mailton and Jake represented the team for this moment to celebrate how far the project has come and had a sneak peek at the newly opened RCSI’s education, research and engagement building at 118 St Stephen’s Green.



This final event marked the end of a national journey that has travelled to Dublin, Cork, Maynooth and Galway, connecting individuals and families living with neurological conditions with coaches, clinicians, researchers, community leaders and advocacy organisations. Family Genomics team was very lucky to support one edition in Maynooth and also had the pleasure to attend the Galway edition.  Together, in this last event at RCSI, we explored one central question: 


“How can we work together to make our local communities places where everyone with a neurological condition can enjoy physical activity?” 


The event opened with insights from leaders across sport, research and lived experience, including contributions from FutureNeuro, Sport Ireland, and Epilepsy Ireland ambassador and Paralympian Dr. Michael McKillop. 


Participants then joined roundtable discussions shaped by themes that emerged throughout the national My Moving Brain series. Lorna and Jake supported this sessions as facilitators along with 7 others to lead the diverse background groups towards a debate to strengthen inclusive practice, access to practical training and pathways across sport and health promotion. These amazing facilitators reported to the audience what stood out in their discussions, among the topics we heard about: 


-A big demand for practical, accessible tools that make participation possible. Themes as seizure first aid, fatigue awareness and giving priority to confidence and enjoyment over performance were mentioned. 


-The  need for more connected pathways between sport, healthcare, education and community organisations. It was clear among participants that people want to be able to find inclusive opportunities easily and they hope for visible representativeness to encourage participation and reduce stigma in sport areas. 


However, what stood out most throughout the room was a shared commitment, not just to talk about inclusion, but to turn these insights into meaningful, actionable change. 


From left to right: Mailton, Lorna and Jake 
From left to right: Mailton, Lorna and Jake 

Although this was a final event in the series, we are delighted to say that it is far from the end of the My Moving Brain journey. Among the sustained impact envisioned by the organising team there are plans to codevelop resources for information and inclusive training, strengthening of national networks and continuing the public engagement around brain health in a way that everyone can feel welcomed. 


If you're new to My Moving Brain or want to revisit highlights of these amazing community events, you can learn more here: 

🔗 My Moving Brain Website: https://futureneurocentre.ie/engagement/brain-research-and-health-awareness/my-moving-brain/ 🎥 This amazing highlights video from MMB Maynooth event: https://youtu.be/mjRvGMwomsc?si=4OEaMWOwEvhbp8SM  

 

If you’re inspired to start getting involved or want to learn more about inclusive opportunities, supports, and upcoming initiatives, you can explore the organisations and resources below: 

 

 

Thank you to everyone who engaged with us and a special thank you to Lyndsey Butterworth and Fiona Mc Loone, all the FutureNeuro team and Epilepsy Ireland for such a successful campaign. 


Author: Mailton Vasconcelos 

This blog post was refined with the assistance Microsoft Copilot (GPT-5), an AI language model, to enhance clarity and maintain the original tone and style of the author. 

 
 
bottom of page