Actress and breast cancer survivor Eilish O’Carroll urges the public to support the Irish Cancer Society’s Pink campaign to fund breast cancer supports
“Talk to people about your cancer. I was scared. I was worried but I talked about it, and while the worry didn’t completely go, it diluted it. And it eased the weight off my shoulders.”
Monday, 28th September 2026: Actress Eilish O’Carroll, star of the hit TV show Mrs Brown’s Boys, is urging people to support the Irish Cancer Society’s Pink campaign ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
The Irish Cancer Society urgently needs donations to provide vital free services for breast cancer patients across Ireland. All donations raised will provide free support services and care to people affected by breast cancer throughout Ireland, and fund groundbreaking breast cancer research. You can support by signing up to host a Pink event.
Every year, around 4,000 women, and approximately 30 men, are diagnosed with breast cancer in Ireland.
Eilish O’Carroll was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2025. Her cancer was diagnosed after a bout of flu.
Breast cancer survivor Eilish O’Carroll, who plays Winnie in Mrs Brown’s Boys, said: “Thank God I had the flu, because it meant I went to the doctor, and that’s how my cancer diagnosis came about. I told the doctor I thought I could feel raised tissue on my chest.
“They did a scan of my chest and, based on that, they wanted to do a scan of my stomach. They saw that I had a lump in my breast and 26 lymph nodes were affected.
“I was in shock when I got the news but didn’t really have time to think about it.
“I remember, afterwards, my wife said, ‘What would you like to do now?’. I said, ‘Let’s go for breakfast. I’m starving’.
“Mentally, I went to Numbsville. I just didn’t feel anything. It felt like it wasn’t really happening to me. Then I was on the rollercoaster of cancer treatment.”
Eilish’s treatment consisted of a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She finished active treatment in September 2025 and is now doing well. Eilish would recommend counselling to others who are affected by cancer, when they feel ready to take that step.
Speaking about the positive impact of accessing Irish Cancer Society-funded counselling, Eilish said: “What I would say to people is, counselling can be incredibly helpful but do it at the time that’s right for you. People can feel like a failure if support doesn’t work for them, and I don’t want people to feel like that. Use supports at the time that is right for you, whether it’s 1 day after your diagnosis or 5 years after.”
Sharing her pride at being an Irish Cancer Society Pink campaign ambassador, Eilish added: “I feel very honoured to be an ambassador for the Irish Cancer Society’s Pink campaign this year. I know the impact breast cancer can have, both through my own diagnosis and how breast cancer has affected my family.
“I have five sisters, three of them have been diagnosed with breast cancer and my beloved sister, Patricia, sadly passed away from breast cancer. So, I know how tough breast cancer be, both on the patient and the people around them.
“By supporting the Irish Cancer Society’s Pink campaign, you can truly make a difference in the lives of people affected by breast cancer. Your donations will fuel the Irish Cancer Society’s vital free services, like their Daffodil Centres, their Support Line, and their counselling service. Together, we can make sure no one in Ireland has to face breast cancer alone.”
Eilish encourages anyone else going through cancer to speak openly about their experience.
Encouraging people affected by cancer to share what they’re going through, Eilish said: “Talk to people about your cancer. I was scared. I was worried I was going to die. Marion was worried I was going to die. But we talked about it, and while the worry didn’t completely go, it diluted it. And it eased the weight off my shoulders.”
The Irish Cancer Society receives only 5% of its funding from the Government. The Irish Cancer Society’s cancer research and vital free services like the Support Line, Transport Service, Daffodil Centres, cancer information, financial grants, and Night Nursing are fuelled by fundraising.
Participants are encouraged to host their fundraising events throughout the month of October to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Registration is open now! To register and to find out more, please visit: cancer.ie/pink
