Press Release

Empowering communities at home and abroad: Irish Red Cross publishes Annual Report 2024

October 20, 2025

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20th October 2025: The Irish Red Cross 2024 Annual Report highlights the significant impact and reach of the humanitarian organisation, both at home and overseas. This included first aid training, first aid cover at local events, facilitating flood relief schemes, and delivering a wide range of targeted support services to Ukrainian and other refugee cohorts, to name but some of the organisation’s humanitarian work here in Ireland. Overseas Irish Red Cross impact included providing vital humanitarian aid in Gaza, psychological support in Ukraine and sustainable livelihood programmes in Nepal. Overall, the work centred on giving humanitarian assistance to those most in need, supporting sustainable, resilient communities. 

2024 was a year of reflection, engagement, and renewal for the Irish Red Cross, marking the completion of the organisation’s 2019– 2024 strategy ‘Act Today, Shape Tomorrow’ and the development of its next strategic direction for 2025–2030.  

Deirdre Garvey, Secretary General, Irish Red Cross said, “When reflecting on 2024, what struck me is the fact that so many lives have been enriched thanks to other people’s generosity. The generosity of our donors, supporters and volunteers enabled a year of positive action. The breadth and scale of our work in 2024 points to our relevance at home and abroad and the extent of humanitarian need to which we are responding. Huge credit goes to our inspiring volunteers – the heartbeat of the Irish Red Cross – we simply could not do our work without them and sincere thanks to the Irish public for trusting us to be their humanitarian network.”

Read the 2024 Annual Report

The breadth and scale of our work in 2024 points to our relevance at home and abroad and the extent of humanitarian need to which we are responding.

“Over nine months, we met with more than 500 volunteers, members, staff, beneficiaries and funders to listen deeply and shape our Strategy for 2025–2030. This new strategy will guide us in strengthening our role in emergency and disaster response, expanding our health and well-being work, and ensuring we remain a vital support for displaced and migrant people. We are also investing in our internal strength, building an organisation that empowers volunteers to grow, lead and thrive,” continued Deirdre.  

Financially, the Irish Red Cross continued to manage significant multi-year funds during 2024 to facilitate humanitarian support. The organisation is financially stable and future focused and has significantly expanded in recent years, reflecting the relevance of its work in Ireland as well as internationally. Irish Red Cross’s unrestricted income for 2024 saw a surplus of €617,000 which is being reinvested to implement a digital and operational transformation in parallel with the organisation’s new strategy. 

After a decade of leadership as Chair of the Board of Directors, Pat Carey stepped down from this role in 2024 passing the mantle to Charlie Flanagan as the new Chair. 

Deirdre expressed heartfelt thanks to Pat adding, “Pat’s decade of leadership as Chair of the Board has left an enduring legacy. He guided the Irish Red Cross throughout that time with wisdom, steadiness and compassion. From major international crises to our work here in communities across Ireland, Pat’s commitment to our mission never wavered. It has been a privilege to work alongside him.” 

Read the 2024 Annual Report

Highlights of Irish Red Cross impact in 2024 include:

Disaster & Emergency 

  • Equipping 4,000 individuals with essential first aid training – vital skills to save a life.  Empowering communities with this knowledge helps to build a more resilient Ireland, while supporting the Government’s Emergency Planning Working Group and EU preparedness protocols.
  • Delivering two programmes in response to flooding emergencies in Bantry, west Cork and areas along the west coast. A total of €139,620 was paid out to 23 eligible applicants. Irish Red Cross also completed administration of the scheme in response to flooding in Midleton in Cork following Storm Babet. €1.87m was paid out during 2024 from a total fund of €9.2 million.
  • Continuing to support the Creeslough community through the Irish Red Cross Creeslough Community Support Fund which raised €1,957,609 from corporate, community and individual donors. This provided financial support for bereaved families, those injured and the wider community following the fatal explosion in Creeslough, County Donegal in 2022.
  • Providing life-saving relief in 11 countries. This included contributing more than €600,000 to the Palestine Red Crescent Society providing life-saving aid across Gaza. This funding supported the delivery of water; women’s dignity kits (1,554); essential food and supplies, and psychosocial support services.
  • Supporting the Ukrainian Red Cross in expanding its mental health and psychosocial support services throughout 2024. 1,277 activities across 11 regions provided essential supports for children and adults.
  • Continuing its Community Based Livelihood Enhancement Project in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross, in the remote and mountainous Myagdi District, strengthening resilience through climate-smart agriculture. This included the distribution of grafted plants alongside cash grants to 447 farmers.  90 farmers received training and essential equipment to establish their own bee farming ventures, while four Farmers Committees were established, fostering knowledge sharing and improved access to government subsidies and support mechanisms. 

Highlights of Health & Wellbeing impact include: 

  • Upgrading the Irish Red Cross fleet of first responder vehicles across Galway, Limerick, Tipperary and Cork in 2024, as part of the organisation’s commitment to sustainability and preparedness. This was achieved thanks to €400,000 funding from the Government’s CLÁR programme.  
  • Equipping staff, volunteers and the public with Psychological First Aid (PFA) training; essential skills to support vulnerable individuals in the aftermath of a crisis.  
  • Giving Therapeutic Hand Care (hand massage and manicures) to clients in hospitals, nursing homes, hospices and day care centres.
  • Providing post-traumatic stress disorder therapy to Ukrainian and other refugees in their own language by trained therapists, as well as a range of self-help programmes for front line workers and others who are working with people experiencing trauma.
  • Offering the Irish Red Cross Skin Camouflage Service, using specialised cover creams to improve the appearance of disfiguring skin conditions, in clinics in Crumlin, Cork and Donegal.
  • Empowering and training volunteers within the prison community to engage in peer-to-peer health promotion through the Irish Red Cross’s Community Based Health & First Aid Prison Programme. Participants become Irish Red Cross volunteers, attend workshops, trainings, develop and execute projects and graduate from the programme. The European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) recognised Irish Red Cross work as the most promising approach in Europe to eliminate Hepatitis C in European Prisons by 2030. 

Highlights of impact for Migration & Displaced People include: 

  • In 2024 alone, facilitating the accommodation of 2,906 Ukrainian Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) in 1,717 placements and supporting 1,400 Ukrainians with English language classes.
  • Reuniting 20 people with 81 family members as part of the Irish Red Cross Restoring Family Links programme.
  • Partnering with government officials to welcome the first group of seriously ill Gazan children and their families to Ireland, in December 2024. The Irish Red Cross provides practical supports for the families, including accommodation and wraparound casework support with Arabic-speaking workers to help the families access the supports they need and to navigate life in Ireland.
  • In our role as an auxiliary to the Government and through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme the Irish Red Cross Resettlement Team supported a total of 85 refugees, including 55 refugees from Afghanistan, 27 from Syria and 3 from Myanmar in 2024.
  • Supporting 21 new family placements (comprised of 81 people in total) with community groups across Ireland under the Community Sponsorship Ireland (CSI) programme, in 2024. 

Highlights of impact in Volunteerism include: 

  • Committing to meaningful change through an action plan – The Volunteer Roadmap – which involves addressing challenges raised by volunteers and improving systems and volunteer supports. Through this work the Irish Red Cross is committed to building a stronger foundation where volunteerism can continue to grow, evolve, and flourish. Volunteers are the heart of the Irish Red Cross. 
  • Continuing to champion youth engagement and development, empowering nearly 800 youth members, aged 4 to under 25, to grow as skilled humanitarians and future leaders. A stand-out Youth event in 2024 was the Gerry Moyne National Youth Challenge which brought together 140 youth members from six branches, a 25% increase in attendance from the previous year. Participants aged 8–18, supported by young adult leaders, engaged in team-based challenges focused on fun, collaboration, and creativity.  
  • Expanding the Irish Red Cross “Generation Heroes” youth recruitment campaign — an initiative that introduces young people to the fundamentals of first aid and the humanitarian work of the Irish Red Cross. This initiative is designed to inspire lasting interest, serving as a first step toward full youth membership. To support local implementation, branches were equipped with communications materials and a “how-to” guide, ensuring the programme’s sustainability in the years ahead. 

ENDS.

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