Media Statement
New findings from Amárach Research have found that less than half of the Irish population would know what to do if they witnessed a person having a seizure.
The research, which was commissioned by Epilepsy Ireland, has been released to coincide with International Epilepsy Day and the launch of a new campaign by the organisation highlighting how seizure first aid is clear when you know what to do.
Speaking about the research findings and the new campaign, Epilepsy Ireland Advocacy and Communications Manager, Paddy McGeoghegan, said:
The new findings show that the Irish public are still not clear on how to respond to a seizure – yet 85% agreed that it is important to know what to do.
Other findings within the research have found that 74% of the public have totally underestimated the prevalence of epilepsy, while nearly half of respondents stated that they have witnessed a seizure.
Our message on International Epilepsy Day is clear – epilepsy is not a rare condition, affecting over 45,000 people across the country – and that is why everyone should be clear on how to correctly respond to a seizure through our key words of TIME, SAFE, STAY. The majority of the public clearly agree that it is important information to know, and we would appeal to everyone to visit www.epilepsy.ie to learn more about these three key words this International Epilepsy Day.
Emma Beamish, a teacher from Dublin who is living with epilepsy – and one of the faces behind Epilepsy Ireland’s new campaign – appealed to the public to learn more, highlighting how her last seizure was responded to by a group of her students who knew exactly what to do.
My last seizure was in 2018. Every person with epilepsy will know the difficulties that come with reoccurring seizures but it was refreshing that my students were aware of epilepsy, seizure first aid and knew exactly what to do. They had educated themselves but unfortunately it appears that there is still a knowledge gap across the country when it comes to seizure first aid. As a person living with epilepsy, I’d appeal to everyone to please take a moment to learn more about Time, Safe, Stay today.
Gareth O’Neill, a marketer and person with epilepsy originally from Fermanagh but living in Dublin, is also one of the faces of the new campaign being launch by Epilepsy Ireland. Explaining his participation in the campaign, Gareth said:
It’s definitely a bit strange seeing your face on advertising materials but raising awareness about epilepsy is important to me and it is critical that the wider public are clear on what to do if they witness someone having a seizure. It felt great to be part of something that I know could make a real difference in the lives of people with epilepsy across Ireland – we now just need people to follow the advice of the campaign and get clear on seizure first aid and the key words of Time, Safe, Stay.
ENDS
Further Information
- To learn more about our new campaign promoting TIME, SAFE, STAY visit the 'International Epilepsy Day 2025 page on our website
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The feature video and TV ad for the campaign is included below: