"If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. "
---Maya Angelou

The North Leitrim West Cavan Carers Group, with the fantastic support of Community Connections, meets regularly to enjoy fellowship, share information and new-found resources, and take occasional breaks from the cares of Caring.

If you know a Carer living in our area, please let them know we're here for support, information, and friendship. Our monthly newsletter and lunchtime meetings are free.

You can e-mail us at c a r e r s g r o u p @ e i r c o m . n e t , or check our printed newsletter for our postal address and telephone numbers. Or, visit us at the Granary Lounge restaurant on Manorhamilton's Main Street, from 11am-noon and beyond, on the last Friday of each month for our regular coffee mornings. We'd love to see you there!

Above are the founding members of the North Leitrim & West Cavan Carers Group
with Siobhan McEniff (centre), Carers Development Worker,
in 2002 with the Carers Information leaflet.

About our region
The north of County Leitrim and the western "arm" of County Cavan cover a region of spectacular beauty, with mountains, lakes, woodland, endless meadows of sheep and cattle, wild hedgerows, ancient monuments, and even a burren. In ancient times this was the border region between Ulster and Connaught; today it lies along the border with Northern Ireland. The River Shannon begins here, and the great poet-adventurer Cathal Bui lived here in his time.

For more information about specific places, people and events in our area, see our Links page, or click here for a story about Lough MacNean, the lake pictured in our logo's photograph.

About us Carers

That's myself on the left, your Secretary, with my son just before he was diagnosed with Autism. At three years old he couldn't speak and was prone to violent tantrums and self-harm; today he's doing well in the local National School and riding horses with the Special Olympics programme. His diet is gluten-free and casein-free, which can be expensive and labour-intensive, and of course there are a host of educational and social interventions that have helped him come on so well.
We live on a few acres near Dowra, on the Leitrim/Cavan border, raising our own organic eggs, milk and vegetables. If you're a Carer living between Dowra and Manorhamilton and need a ride to meetings, let me know -- there's always room in my car for a friend!

What's your story?
If you're a carer in north Leitrim or west Cavan, please send us a few words and (if you like) a photo of yourself and the person you care for, so that we can feature you on our "About Us" page.