Sylvia Meehan – People of the year

The Irish Senior Citizens’ Parliament is thrilled and delighted that its President, Sylvia Meehan, has been presented with a prestigious “People of the Year” award. Sylvia was presented with the award by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland for giving a voice to those who might otherwise be forgotten and for her skill and tenacity in asserting the rights of older people.

The Parliament’s President is a vociferous campaigner for older people and has been a champion of equal rights in Ireland for decades

said Máiréad Hayes, CEO of the Parliament, the country’s largest representative organisation of older people.

Sylvia has never stopped campaigning and came to the fore yet again last year when she led our campaign against the abolition of the universal entitlement to the medical card for over 70s

Older people have become more confident and I am thrilled that this confidence is expressing itself

said Sylvia at the time of the protest, which culminated with 20,000 older people gathering at Leinster House.

Sylvia has contributed to the National Oversight Committee and served on the board of the Council for Aging & Older People and has served as the Irish representative on the executive of AGE – the European Older Peoples Platform as well as the Government’s Task Force on Active Citizenship.

Sylvia will chair the ISCP’s meeting on “Communicating Europe” on Friday 18 September in EU House on Dawson Street in Dublin.