Instagram story viewer> @cared_ireland> Tagged

Cared Ireland

@cared_ireland

undefined

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Lady Justice ⚖️🗡️🇮🇪💔

Lady Justice is recognised around the world as a symbol of fairness, equality, and impartiality.

A woman.
Blindfolded.
Holding scales in one hand and a sword in the other.

The blindfold represents fairness without bias.
The scales represent balance and every voice being heard.
The sword represents the responsibility to uphold justice fairly.

But symbols only have meaning if they reflect reality.

As a mother, watching my autistic daughter be separated from our family under a court order during her battle with anorexia has been the most heartbreaking experience of our lives. We felt unheard, powerless, and devastated.

I believe children with complex needs deserve compassionate, trauma-informed, autism-informed care that protects both their physical and emotional wellbeing. Families deserve to be listened to, respected, and included in decisions affecting their children.

Justice is not just about making decisions. It is about listening, dignity, compassion, and fairness.

At Dublin Castle stands a statue of Lady Justice with her face towards the Castle and her back to the people. For generations, it inspired these words:

“Lady Justice, mark well her station,
Her face to the Castle, and her back to the nation.”

Justice should not only exist, it should be seen, felt, and experienced by everyone.

A system that cannot be questioned cannot truly claim to be just. 💔⚖️🇮🇪

25

1

As Eating Disorders Awareness Week comes to a close, I’m sitting with a truth that feels more urgent than ever: our bodies are not problems to be solved.

In a time when weight loss injections are marketed as miracles, when “health” is reduced to aesthetics, and when body size is once again being moralised in public discourse, we have to ask harder questions.

💡Who benefits from our shame? Who profits from our fear of taking up space?

On so called “World Obesity Day,” I’m thinking about liberatory care: care that does not begin with stigma, surveillance, or control. Care that honours autonomy. Care that understands that eating disorders do not discriminate by size, and that harm thrives in silence, shame, and rigid thinking.

The rise in authoritarian and conservative rhetoric often brings with it a fixation on discipline, purity, and control, including control over bodies. Body politics has always been political. The policing of weight, food, gender expression, disability, and appearance does not happen in isolation. It echoes older systems rooted in racism, ableism, and colonialism.

When we centre thinness as virtue and fatness as failure, we reinforce hierarchies that disproportionately harm marginalised communities. We ignore the social determinants of health. We ignore trauma. We ignore access. We ignore joy.

We do not need more body surveillance in this era of pharmaceuticals and quick fixes. We need nuanced conversations. We need trauma informed care. We need to protect vulnerable people from the pipeline between body shame and disordered eating. We need to challenge policies and narratives that frame certain bodies as burdens.

💡And most of all, we need to remember that bodies are not trends. They are homes.

May we build a world where care is expansive, evidence informed, and rooted in dignity, not

#eatingdisordersawarenessweek #haes #bmi #intersectionality #dublinireland

118

7

Last week was Eating Disorder week.

Eating Disorders are an insidious mental health condition which require specialised support and services remain limited in Ireland.

35

1

I wanted to briefly touch on this because it will become a topic of more urgency, heading into the spring and summer months now.

In a culture obsessed with thinness, control and one idea of beauty, reframing body talk is an act of care and resistance. It makes space for difference, challenges stigma and reminds us that bodies are not problems to solve.

When communities equitable choose respect over judgement, people are safer to speak, seek support and heal. Liberation begins with how we treat one another - especially given how the chronically ill, sick, bed bound and disabled folks are often left put of these conversations!

Lemme know what you would also add to this list! 🌱

#edaw2026 #eatingdisordersawarenessweek #intersectionality #mentalhealthawareness #dublinireland .

1k

10

It is eating disorder awarness week. Having this conversation intersectionally is essential because experiences of food, body, and care are not universal.

Race, disability (Neuroconvergence, chronic illness, etc), gender identity, class, culture, and etc all shape how eating disorders are understood, expressed, and treated.

Without an intersectional lens, many people remain misdiagnosed, dismissed, or excluded from support that reflects their realities.

As someone with lived experiences, I wanted to do my best to contribute to this vital conversation.

💭As always, most of what I talk about on here are from lived experiences - excuse any typos - your gal is chronically ill and exhausted atm. I hope this helps someone and leave a comment if something has been missed!

#edaw2026 #eatingdisordersawarenessweek #intersectionality #mentalhealthawareness #dublinireland . Photo shared by Blezzing Dada | Mental Health Activist 🇮🇪🇵🇸 #maskup!🦠 on February 23, 2026 tagging @drjoshuawolrich, @stpatricksmentalhealthservices, @eatingdisordercentrecork, @bodywhys, @breathingspacedublin8, @loisbridgesdublin, @intuitive.eating.ireland, and @nedrcireland. May be an image of text that says "EATING DISORDERS A AWARENESS WEEK W 2026 (23RD EBRUARY 1ST MARCH) M Theme: "Exploring Connection Community and @blezzingdada".

111

8

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2026…. Why outdated typical eating disorder treatment can be seriously damaging for neurodivergent patients 😔 The damage is real!!! It’s time for change! 😡🟢🟢🟢👇#hse #eatingdisorderawarenessweek #eatingdisorderrecovery #timeforchange #asiam

8

0

Great to see Eating Disorders highlighted today by some great advocates. We will keep fighting so nobody else dies of an eating disorder, and for the best services possible in this country. Thanks @cared_ireland @bodywhys @harriet.e.parsons

144

4

Today in the Health Committee I heard the stark realities facing patients with eating disorders.
Limited services, long waits, and lives at risk. This must change.

7

0

Congratulations to all the nominees and overall winners at last nights @volunteerireland awards ✨🏆 #heros

@volunteerdublincity
@littlewarriors.ie
@sfhdublin @helpinghandwaterford @nationalspca

57

5

We’re delighted to announce a free in-house support group session at Lois Bridges, led by our expert CNS Alicia! 💙

Alicia is highly experienced in treating eating disorders and trained in DBT and MANTRA. Join us at 2 PM on June 29th for a warm, judgment-free space to connect, learn recovery techniques, and feel a sense of belonging. 🌱

📍 All are welcome – no registration needed.
📧 Questions? Email info@loisbridges.ie or manager@loisbridges.ie Please share this to reach as many as it can who may need the support

#LoisBridges #EatingDisorderRecovery #SupportGroup #MentalHealthMatters #YouAreNotAlone

36

3

I welcome a commitment by the Tánaiste last week to consider the proposals made by @cared_ireland. People suffering with eating disorders have been left at sea in their own country, the lack of supports and services has failed so many, we need to do better. This is an issue I will continue to raise.

37

3

A Week in Review: From Dublin to Mayo and Back Again

This week was packed with meetings, community events, and plenty of time on the road. Here’s a quick recap:

✅ Monday – Started the week with my constituency clinic before traveling to Dublin. That evening, I joined the JCI Ireland Senate reception to welcome the JCI World President.

✅ Tuesday – Hosted the JCI President Keisuke Shimoyamada in Leinster House alongside Minister Darragh O’Brien, a past JCI Fingal President. Spoke in the Dáil chamber on disability and later attended the Women for Election event with Grace Boland TD.

✅ Wednesday – Met with Cared (Caring About Recovery From Eating Disorders) and listened to their very emotional journeys and requests for services. Also had a busy day/evening of committee work focused on Dáil reform.

✅ Thursday – Attended the Business Committee before heading back to Mayo, where I joined Westport Tidy Towns for their AGM.

✅ Friday – A busy day in the constituency with MEP Maria Walsh.
• Met with the Active Age Group in Louisburgh
• Spoke with Society & Politics students in Sancta Maria College
• Visited Mo Chara, a disability-friendly boat
• Met with local fishermen to hear their challenges & requests
• Nearly took home a lamb at the IFA meeting in Aughagower
• Attended the launch of Westport’s Autism-Friendly Town

✅ Saturday – Kicked off the weekend at the Relay for Life Mayo launch before catching up over breakfast with Cllr Peter Flynn and former TD Michael Ring.

Plenty of admin, emails, and planning in between, but that’s the nature of the job! Thanks to everyone I met this week—always great to hear from you. Looking forward to another busy week ahead!

#Keogh4Mayo #TDLife #FineGael

135

2