Grace O'Neill named the Meath Lidl Family Carer of the Year 2026

Family Carers Ireland has announced Grace O’Neill from Longwood as the Meath finalist in the 2026 Lidl Family Carer of the Year Awards.

The annual awards celebrate the remarkable contribution of Ireland’s family carers, recognising the love, commitment, and dedication of those who provide essential care and support to loved ones, often with little acknowledgement.

Grace O’Neill is mum to five children and cares for four of them, aged between seven and 12, who are autistic and have additional needs. Life in the O’Neill household is busy, with each child having their own routines and needs, and Grace at the centre of making it all work.

Grace manages appointments and therapies, including speech and language, occupational and play therapy, while constantly adapting to what each of her children needs. She also faces health challenges of her own but remains the person keeping track of the many different demands of family life.

Despite how demanding daily life can be, Grace puts huge effort into making sure her children can enjoy the things that matter to them. From play dates and birthday parties to singing lessons, sport, family trips, and summer holidays, she plans carefully so they can take part, have fun, and have things to look forward to.

Her husband Anthony describes Grace as the glue that holds their family together and says he relies heavily on her too. With five children all needing her in different ways, Grace keeps everything moving while making sure each of them feels loved, understood, and included.

Louise Cosgrove, Support Manager, Family Carers Ireland said: “Every nomination for these awards gives us a glimpse into lives that most people never see. The nominations are filled with stories of love, determination, humour, difficult days, and small victories, and above all, the difference family carers make to the lives of their loved ones right across the country.

“These awards give us the opportunity to bring those stories into the spotlight and recognise the remarkable people behind them. But recognition must come with real support. Our research shows that three in four family carers have never had a break, a similar number are struggling financially, and almost half feel severely lonely. They deserve so much more.”

Maeve McCleane, Chief People Officer at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: "At Lidl Ireland, with stores and teams rooted in communities nationwide, we see the importance of supporting the people and families with caring needs who can often be overlooked or unsupported.

Our partnership with Family Carers Ireland reflects our commitment to supporting carers across every community, giving us an opportunity to recognise the vital contribution of family carers and help bring greater understanding to the realities of caring. We are delighted to congratulate Grace on being named the Meath Lidl Family Carer of the Year."