Ken Barclay, diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 Photo by Damien Mangan
Raising awareness of Type 1 Diabetes
A Tallaght volunteer has co-organised Thriveabetes 2026, a national volunteer-led Type 1 Diabetes conference at Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport in Santry on Saturday, April 18.
Ken Barclay was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 10 in 1990. He has helped to organise the event, which will bring together over 200 attendees from across Ireland and features a mix of lived experience and clinical expertise.
The conference, co-organised by Barclay, who lives in Templeogue, provides a chance for those with the same auto-immune condition to connect with one another and bond over their shared lived experience.
It also includes access to the latest technologies, such as insulin pumps and continued glucose monitoring systems, with an exhibition area featuring companies supplying diabetes technology, devices, and supports.
Tallaght’s Ken is well known in the Dublin Adults with Type 1 Diabetes community and is a familiar voice in local peer-support groups and online networks.
Ken is a highly active contributor in the DIYAPS (Do-It-Yourself Artificial Pancreas Systems) space, where he supports others in learning about and safely adopting new technologies.
People attending a Thriveabetes Conference in 2024
Through both local peer-support groups and online communities, Ken has become a trusted source of guidance for people navigating the day-to-day realities of living with Type 1 Diabetes.
His involvement in Thriveabetes reflects the conference’s core ethos, people with lived experience supporting others to better manage and live well with the condition.
There will be discussions at the conference from those with lived experience, including influencers who help to raise awareness of the auto-immune condition through social media channels.
Influencers Beth McDaniel and Ellen Watson, also known as The Diabetic Duo, have over 30,000 followers and more than 40 million views on Tiktok, and use humour and honesty to share their experience of living with Type 1 Diabetes.
Another speaker is Pete Davies from Britain, who has lived with Type 1 Diabetes for over 69 years, which makes him one of the longest-living advocates in the global Type 1 community.
His keynote talk will explore long-term health, resilience, changing technology, and what he wishes every newly diagnosed person knew.
Tickets are available for Thriveabetes 2026 at Thriveabetes.
For more information, contact info@Thriveabetes.ie.
