ME Therapy Week

The ME Therapy Week which began in 2003 will take place between the dates of July 20th – July 24th 2009. This will be the 7th year of our ME Therapy Week and it is proving to be more popular on each occasion. The venue for this ME Therapy week is An Grianán (which means ‘the sunny place) - a charming manor house and estate situated near the long sandy beaches of the Co. Louth coast and the River Boyne estuary. This beautiful stately home was built in the late 18th century and still reflects the splendour of those years in its manicured grounds, ornate ceilings and domed central stairway. The Irish Countrywomen's Association manage An Grianán with great efficiency and provide courses dealing with Arts & Crafts, Leisure, Personal Development and Self Care. Complementing these courses are Irish ME Trust arranged therapies. These therapies take place on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and will include Massage, Reflexology, Osteopathy, etc. On the Thursday evening we conduct a lecture / discussion on aspects of ME and CFS.

Because this ME Therapy Week is subsidised by the IMET, we are able to accept bookings for this week at a rate of €150.00 per person. This €150.00 will cover 4 night’s full board accommodation (to include breakfast, dinner & high tea) and entry to all courses and therapies, energy levels permitting of course. We know of no other ME friendly environment week of its type anywhere in the ME world and in the words of the chairperson of the ICA – An Grianán is the one place where a person can travel to on their own and not feel alone.

For those requiring transport assistance to the centre, we will be providing complimentary transport from Dublin City Centre to An Grianán on the Monday and similarly on the Friday from An Grianán to Dublin.

Itinerary

We arrive at An Grianán early afternoon on the Monday. Registration takes place at 4pm at which time enrolment for the courses and therapies will be finalised. Breakfast is from 8.45am each day; Tea break at 11am; Dinner at 1pm & High Tea at 6.00pm (5.30pm on Monday). The Courses will be ran over 3 days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) at the following times: - 10.00am-11.00am; 11.30am-1.00pm; 2.30pm-3.30pm.

There is no obligation to take part in any or all of the courses. That will be entirely the decision of the individual. Unfortunately, An Grianán is not particularly wheelchair friendly and so would not be suitable for people with severe ME. Please indicate whether you are vegetarian as this information will need to be communicated to the centre in advance. Due to the adverse reaction for some ME sufferers to perfumes, aerosol sprays, etc., we would request that these accessories be eliminated from your wardrobe for the duration of this week.