23/11/2025
Tribute to Orla Cahill – A decade of heart, creativity, and community at Whelehans: Now of Kind Kids
Orla Cahill worked with Whelehans Pharmacy from 2012 to 2022, and during that decade she became one of the most loved and admired members of our team, by staff, customers, and the wider community. She was the definition of a team player: creative, dependable, compassionate, and always full of ideas to help, support, and even entertain the people who walked through our doors.
Orla had a remarkable ability to connect with patients going through tough times. Her warmth, empathy, and caring nature meant she consistently went above and beyond for those who needed a little extra support. Her personality was infectious, and people were naturally drawn to her; customers looked for her, colleagues laughed with her, and she brought a spark of joy to every day.
Socially, Orla was first at every staff night out, and genuinely the life and soul of every Whelehans celebration, including awards ceremonies when we were lucky enough to be nominated or win. One standout moment was in 2017 when Whelehans Pearse Street and Clonmore won “Most Innovative Pharmacy in Ireland.” Orla played a crucial role in earning that award.
Whelehans as a trusted and engaging online presence.
As part of her role, Orla also managed the Whelehans social media channels. Her posts were informative, funny, clever, uplifting, and at times downright brilliant. Thanks in large part to her creativity, Whelehans became (and remains) the most followed pharmacy in Westmeath across platforms like Facebook. Her mix of health advice, beauty tips, event highlights, competitions, and community fun helped establish
Orla founded Kind Kids
Orla founded Kind Kids while still working at Whelehans, running her early sessions from our treatment room in Whelehans Clonmore. The programme grew steadily thanks to her passion and vision, and eventually she made the brave decision to pursue Kind Kids as her full-time business. While we were sad to see her move on, we were incredibly proud of her success. She has continued to grow Kind Kids into an inspiring and much-needed wellbeing service for children across Westmeath and beyond.
Orla will always be part of the Whelehans family. Her creativity, kindness, and positive energy left a lasting mark on all of us and we remain grateful for the ten wonderful years she spent helping shape our team, our patients’ experiences, and our community.
EXAMPLE OF SOME OF HER GREAT WORK WITH KIND KIDS
Longford Westmeath Down Syndrome
Spooky, Scary Skeletons (Undead Tombstone Remix Extended) · Andrew Gold
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🎃🧡 Spooktacular Fun with Kind Kids Club! 👻🌿
On Tuesday 28th October, the Longford Westmeath Down Syndrome branch had the wonderful opportunity to team up once again with the amazing Kind Kids Club for a Halloween-themed Creative Mindfulness Workshop, proudly funded by the National Lottery Grant Scheme in the beautiful autumnal surroundings of Belvedere House Gardens & Park 💛
This time, there were some ghostly goings-on as our young members and their siblings enjoyed a morning full of creativity, laughter, and mindful fun, all with a Halloween twist! 🎨🕷️🎃
From spooky storytelling and arts & crafts to games and giggles, the children explored kindness, calm, and confidence through play and imagination. Meanwhile, parents got to relax and catch up over tea and coffee ☕ and even spotted our Chairperson transformed into a not-so-scary mummy! 🩹🧻😄
Workshops like these offer so much more than just fun, they help our young members build emotional awareness, connection, and resilience in a safe, supportive space. 💫
Huge thanks to Orla and her incredible team for another magical and mindful day, and to the HSE National Lottery Grant Scheme for making it all possible. 🌈
