16/11/2025
Patricia McDonagh has been a volunteer hairdresser in the St Francis Hospice in Raheny, Dublin, for 30 years, and said that providing this service for somebody who is approaching the end of their life is nothing short of a privilege.
Ms McDonagh, from Malahide, started out making tea and coffee at memorial evenings for the bereaved families.
She began doing the hair of hospice patients when she heard that they were seeking somebody to fill that role. Witnessing how much this weekly treat means to those in the care of the hospice brings Ms McDonagh immeasurable joy.
She said that when she calls around to the patients to make note of who would like to have their hair done, “their eyes light up”.
“The nurses told me that the patients look forward to Friday, because they know I’ll be coming in,” she said.
Ms McDonagh said that she has no problem getting into the hospital bed to do the hair of patients who are too unwell to move about, a skill that she learnt from one of the nuns who worked at the hospice.
Such is the inspiring nature of Ms McDonagh, that her daughter Mairead now works in the hospice as a nurse.
For World Kindness Day, we spoke to some of Ireland’s kindest people and hear about what they do. Read more on the Irish Independent website.
