This is one of a series of family photographs in rural Ireland. In order for the photographs to be taken most of the family had to travel a long way. Ethel, the great grandmother, was born in 1926. Her 90th birthday is on February 8th. Her husband William, died just over a year ago, almost 95 years old. Ethel has been bed bound for more than 6 years.

She is extremely weak and eats very, very little. She passes her time singing, chatting, sleeping. When she needs attention and nobody is in her room, she bangs the floor with her stick which is lying on her bed. She’s been looked after around the clock by her 3 daughters and a team of at least 6 carers. She has 3 daughters, 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. We see her here in her bedroom in a small village in SE Ireland with her eldest daughter Iris, her granddaughter Lorraine, daughter of Iris, and her great grandchildren Lauren and Nathan, children of Lorraine.