Supporting Each Other on the Neurodivergent Journey - Parent Evening, Carlow

What to Expect

Autism Heroes runs this in-person evening for parents and carers of neurodivergent children at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel on the Kilkenny Road in Carlow. The speaker is Anne Hessman, and the ninety minute session is built around four themes the organisers set out in advance: caring for the carer, guiding a child through neurodivergent experiences, finding support for siblings, and practical strategies for going back to school.

The timing is deliberate. The session lands in the last full week of the summer holidays, when families are working out uniforms, routines, transport and the first weeks of a new school year. Autism Heroes is a Carlow-based organisation that supports families affected by autism, largely by funding autism supports in the community, and its parent evenings are aimed at people who want to talk to others in the same position rather than sit through a lecture. Booking is through Eventbrite and the listing states that no refunds are offered once a ticket is bought.

Good to Know

• Tuesday 25 August 2026, 6.00pm to 7.30pm
• Woodford Dolmen Hotel, Kilkenny Road, Carlow, R93 N207
• Organised by Autism Heroes, with speaker Anne Hessman
• Topics: caring for the carer, guiding your child, sibling support, back to school
• In-person only, and the ticket page carries a no refunds policy
• Book through the Eventbrite listing, which shows the current ticket price
• Autism Heroes also runs a separate teacher-focused session at the same hotel on 10 September 2026

Getting There

The Woodford Dolmen Hotel sits on the Kilkenny Road (R448) on the southern edge of Carlow town, beside the River Barrow, and has its own car park. Coming from the M9, leave at Junction 5 for Carlow and follow signs for the town centre, then pick up the Kilkenny Road. Carlow railway station and the town centre bus stops are a short taxi ride away, and the walk in from the centre of town takes around twenty minutes along the river side of the road.