Family Carers Ireland has announced Barbara Curran from Moylough, Co. Galway, as the Galway finalist in the 2026 Lidl Family Carer of the Year Awards.
Barbara Curran, known to friends as Bobbie, cares for her husband Tomás, who lives with dementia, at their home in Moylough. From the moment Tomás wakes, Bobbie is there to help him through his day, helping him wash and dress, preparing his meals, supporting his personal care, and bringing him to appointments. Her caring role continues through the night, whenever Tomás wakes and needs her.
With only a small number of home help hours, there is little opportunity for Bobbie to switch off. She manages Tomás’s care alongside everything involved in keeping their home running, from laundry and paperwork to the journeys needed for appointments and everyday errands in rural Galway. She has health challenges of her own, but caring for Tomás inevitably comes first.
What says perhaps most about Bobbie, however, is that she still makes time for other people. When another family carer was navigating her father’s dementia diagnosis, Bobbie was there to help her through it. She is known for always having a smile and being ready to offer support, even when she is carrying so much herself.
Caring for Tomás means long days, interrupted nights and very little time that is entirely her own. Yet Bobbie continues to be there for her husband every day, while somehow retaining the warmth and generosity to help others too.
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.
Ronah Corcoran, Support Manager for Galway 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 that 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 Barbara Curran on being named Galway Lidl Family Carer of the Year.”
