European Council of Grandmothers meeting set to take place in Dundalk

Dundalk will play host to the European Council of Grandmothers next month.

This is the first time this unique event will be hosted in Ireland and will take place in Dundalk from September 3rd to September 8th.

Founded in 2015, the Council is composed of 14 grandmothers and elder women representing 12 European countries.

The group meets every nine months in different host nations, with the aim of reviving and sharing ancestral traditions, cultural heritage, and intergenerational wisdom with younger generations.

This year, the Council has chosen to visit Ireland.

MaryAnne Gosling, Ireland’s representative on the Council since its inception, and a native of Dundalk, has invited her fellow grandmothers to her hometown.

MaryAnne, who is also a founding member of the Dundalk Women’s Shed, has enlisted the support of the Women’s Shed to act as local ‘Friends’ to the visiting Council.

While the grandmothers will hold private meetings and visit local sites, the highlight of the visit will be a two-day public gathering on Saturday, 6th and Sunday, 7th September in Wellington Hall, St Mary’s Road , Dundalk.

Members of the public—women and men aged 16 and over, from the local community, across Ireland, and beyond—are warmly invited to join in a celebration and exploration of this year’s theme: “Oneness.”

The grandmothers will share their ancient wisdom and healing presence to nurture the importance of preserving ancestral wisdom in the context of present-day knowledge, and to create matriarchs within our communities to hold this wisdom.

MaryAnne said: “The theme of the discussions will focus on living in harmony as one with our natural world to preserve it by promoting the nurture of young people with wisdom and traditions which can foster resilience to help them to face the challenges of life in this fast-moving digital age."

Former EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said: “The Council of European Grandmothers is an excellent initiative.

"In modern society, the value and wisdom of older people is often unheard and sometimes undervalued. I wish them a successful gathering in Dundalk.”

A GoFundMe has been set to support the costs of hosting the event in Dundalk which can be found HERE 

The public meetings will take place in the Wellington Hall, St Mary’s Road, Dundalk on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September. These events are supported by Friends from Dundalk Women’s Shed.

Full details and history of the Council of European Grandmothers can be found on their website https://councileugrandmothers.eu/council/