An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-06
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Teresa Costello (FF), Agricultural Panel

Anyone who watched "The Late Late Show" on Friday night will have seen an interview with two brothers, Jordan and Cian Adams, known as the FTD brothers. They are undertaking an incredible challenge in memory of their mother, Geraldine. They are running 32 marathons in 32 days across Ireland, or 33 if we count the fact that Jordan began this journey by running the London Marathon with a fridge strapped to his back. What a way to start this campaign.
The mission is simple, namely, to raise awareness about and funds for dementia. This family is affected by frontotemporal dementia, FTD. FTD is a cruel and progressive brain disease that affects personality, behaviour, speech and movement. Unlike other forms of dementia, it often affects younger people, sometimes in their 40s and 50s. There is no cure at present and the impact on families and patients is devastating. Awareness matters, because understanding leads to early diagnosis, better support, more compassion and ultimately, more investment in research.
There are 64,000 people living with dementia in Ireland at present and that number is expected to double by 2045. There are more than 200 different types of dementia, including Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, VaD, Lewy body dementia, LBD, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia, just to name a few.
For Jordan and Cian, this campaign is personal. They run the risk of frontotemporal dementia. Their mum, Geraldine, who was Irish, lived with it and sadly passed away from the illness. Heartbreakingly, 12 members of their family have lost their lives to this illness. In the face of this grief, these brothers have chosen courage, compassion and action. They want the world to listen, hear and know about dementia. They want to educate people about dementia and the realities that people face every day. In ten days, they have raised €1 million for awareness and research; an extraordinary achievement. Their journey will conclude in Dublin on 28 May. They are asking as many people as possible to come out and support them, to dress in vibrant colours as their mother did, to shine a light on this cruel disease and to stand in solidarity with families and people affected by dementia. I encourage Members to follow and support their journey on social media through FTD brothers.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-06/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:54+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-06