Third Prize
"A River Rolls On"
by Mike Hanrahan (Ireland)
Mike Hanrahan won third prize with their work "A River Rolls On" and received their trophy at the 2026 Anti-Stigma Award Ceremony on 28 October 2026.
After a restricted window visit with his mother in her care home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Hanrahan wrote "A River Rolls On" as a tribute to her life and dedication to caring for others. His mother had been living with dementia since 2012. The song was recorded with Dublin's Forgetmenots Choir, a dementia and age-friendly community choir, and released on 28 May 2021, the day she sadly passed away. His mother’s passing had a profound effect on Mike’s life and motivated him to promote awareness and hopefully develop a national conversation on Dementia and family care.
"'A River Rolls' On is inspired by my mother. I imagined my mum's life as a beautiful meandering river heading to its ocean. It was my deepest wish that the ancient sea folk would carry her past the storm of dementia and welcome her to a peaceful rest beyond the breakers."
Find Mike on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
