Organ Donor Awareness Week Shines a Green Spotlight on Family Conversations

Organ Donor Awareness Week 2026 will take place from May 16th to 23rd, encouraging people across Ireland to share their wishes about organ donation with their families. The annual campaign is organised by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) in collaboration with HSE’s Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI).

The campaign is centred around the clear message: “Don’t leave your loved ones in doubt. Share your wishes about organ donation.”

Without organ donors, transplantation would not be possible. Each donation has a profound impact on patients, their families, workplaces, and communities, and depends entirely on the generosity of donor families. Donated organs can include the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Currently, more than 650 people in Ireland are waiting for a life-saving transplant.

Since the introduction of Ireland’s soft opt-out system in June 2025 under the Human Tissue Act, people are presumed to have consented to organ donation unless they have registered their opt-out decision. However, family agreement remains essential, and organ donation will not proceed without it. This makes family conversations more important than ever. Sharing your wishes ensures that, if the situation arises, your family can support your decision, knowing and respecting your wishes.

Only around 1%–2% of people die in circumstances where organ donation is possible, highlighting how rare and valuable each opportunity is.

While carrying an organ donor card, storing a digital donor card in your phone wallet, or having code 115 on your driver’s licence are all important ways to record your decision, they also act as valuable prompts for your family’s understanding of your wishes that makes organ donation possible.

The strong public support for organ donation is evident. Since the introduction of the current driver’s licence format, the Road Safety Authority revealed that almost 1.65 million people have indicated their willingness to become an organ donor when applying for their licence, represented by code 115. While not a legal consent, like the organ donor card it acts as a reminder of your wishes and a prompt for family discussion.

Organ Donor Awareness Week also highlights the positive impact of organ donation – one donor can save up to eight lives – while recognising the deeply personal importance of making your wishes known and the extraordinary selflessness of deceased donors and their families.

Founded in 1978, the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) has been at the forefront of promoting organ donation in Ireland for decades. Since its foundation, the registered charity has promoted and distributed the organ donor card in Ireland. During Organ Donor Awareness Week, IKA volunteers will be out and about in communities nationwide, including busy locations such as shopping centres, sharing campaign messages and their own lived experiences of organ donation and transplantation to encourage public engagement and understanding.

Support from organisations at the heart of communities across the country is central to the campaign’s success. An Post, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), community pharmacies, and Libraries Ireland, are helping to raise awareness nationwide and encourage conversations about organ donation. This support is further strengthened by patient advocacy groups and their volunteers, alongside the vital work of healthcare professionals on the front line of organ donation and transplantation, who support donor families and transplant recipients.

The media also plays a vital role in bringing this message to the fore, helping to raise awareness and encourage important conversations about organ donation across society.

LIGHT UP IN GREEN FOR ORGAN DONATION

To mark the week, buildings and landmarks across Ireland – including the GPO, Leinster House, and some heritage sites as well as some supported by Dublin City Council and Galway City Council – will be illuminated from dusk to dawn in green, the international colour of organ donation, as a visible sign of support and solidarity.

During Organ Donor Awareness Week, special commemorative events will take place. On Sunday, May 17th, a special Mass for organ donation will be held at the Basilica in Knock, Co. Mayo. The week will conclude on Saturday, May 23rd with an event at the Circle of Life Commemorative Garden for organ donors in Salthill, Galway, a fitting conclusion to a week of remembrance, gratitude, and awareness.

There will also be a free public information event at Humanarium, the new health and wellbeing gallery at the RCSI, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2 on Tuesday, May 19th (registration at www.humanarium.ie/whats-on).

For more information or to request an organ donor card (including in digital format), visit www.ika.ie/donorweek The campaign poster (available in English, Irish, Polish, Hindi and Yoruba) can be downloaded from the same link www.ika.ie/donorweek.

Follow and support the campaign on social media: Instagram @IrishKidneyA Facebook @IrishKidneyAssociation LinkedIn irishkidneyassociation
Hashtags: #LeaveNoDoubt #ShareYourWishes #DonorWeek26