This week, I sat down with Chris O’Connor, who shared the heartbreaking loss of his dad, James O’Connor who died while attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro on the morning of his 40th birthday.

Chris is just 17, still in school, but speaks with a depth and honesty that left me completely in awe of him. He talks about the pressure to stay strong, the anger that built up in the aftermath, and how healing it’s been to finally open up and speak about his grief.

He also shares the deep love he has for his dad, the man who introduced him to running, supported him through everything, and shaped so much of who he is today.

This is a powerful and moving conversation about love, loss, and the strength it takes to keep going. One you should get your teenagers to listen to and one we can all learn so much from ourselves.

You can follow Chris' journey on Tiktok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@chrisoconn

And Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/christopher.oconn?igsh=MW93cGJkdmlvaGNtdQ==

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🎙️ This episode was recorded at GK Media Studio.
They also offer a beautiful Legacy Package where you can record your own personal or family podcast, capture memories with a loved one, or tell your story in your own words.
They can even travel to you.

📼 Learn more here: https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy

For more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com

This week, I sit down with Ann Higgins, a woman who has known profound love and deep loss throughout her life. Anne shares her journey from losing her brother and mother, to the heartbreak of miscarriage and failed IVF. But at the heart of her story is the incredible bond she formed with a young boy in her class while working as a teacher.

He was living in residential care, and Anne and her husband felt an instant connection. What followed was a long and difficult road to foster and eventually care for him permanently, becoming a family in every sense of the word. Their story captured the hearts of the nation when they appeared on Room to Improve, but tragedy struck again when he suffered a traumatic injury and passed away.

Ann speaks with honesty, warmth, and strength about grief, motherhood, and what it means to give your whole heart to someone, no matter how long you get to love them.

For more information about Grief Retreats visit ⁠www.griefireland.com⁠

For more information on recording your own personal podcast as a keepsake for family friends etc contact GK MEDIA on Instagram or here

⁠https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy

This week, I sat down with Laura Craine, the founder of With Love and Dreams, a beautiful creative business that helps people honour their loved ones through memorial jewellery and flower preservation. Laura is a resin artist who works with cremated remains, funeral flowers, and other deeply personal items to create meaningful keepsakes for those who are grieving.

Laura also shares her own story of loss, having experienced the death of 3 of her grandparents within six months. She speaks especially about the bond she shared with her granddad, Harry, and how his passing shaped her understanding of grief and deepened her empathy for the people she now supports through her work.

It’s a conversation about memory, legacy, and the creative ways we carry love forward.

This episode is kindly brought to you by GK Media.

For more information on their legacy video and podcast service please visit them here https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy

For more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com

You can find Laura @with love and dreams

This week, I sit down with Orla Clancy, who shares the story of losing both of her parents, her mum Christina and her dad Noel. Orla was just 13 when her mother died suddenly, a loss that shaped her teenage years. In the years that followed, her relationship with her dad grew incredibly strong as he raised her through life’s hardest and most formative moments.

Then, at just 29, Orla faced another devastating loss when her dad became unwell and passed away from cancer.

This is a story of grief, love, and the deep bond between a daughter and her parents especially the connection that forms when a parent becomes your whole world.

For more information about Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com

For more information on recording your own personal podcast as a keepsake for family friends etc contact GK MEDIA on Instagram or here

https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy

This week, I sit down with Sequana O’Brien, a young woman who has lived through an extraordinary amount of loss and hardship in just a few short years. In 2022, her mother passed away from stage 4 cancer. Just two weeks later, her sister entered a devastating psychosis and, after a long and painful struggle, also passed away six months to the day after their mum. At the same time, Sequana was trying to care for her unwell father, all while studying for her Leaving Cert.

It’s a story of unimaginable grief, but also one of strength, love, and quiet resilience. Sequana shares it all with such honesty and grace.

You can find Sequana @Sequana_make up

This episode is kindly brought to you by GK Media.

For more information on their legacy video and podcast service please visit them here https://www.gkmedia.ie/legacy

For more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com

So this week it was my turn!!!!! Im allergic haha.

Being the host of this podcast, and creating the whole Grief Ireland space I thought it was time to sit down and share my own story for those who perhaps wouldn't have heard it before. I do know some of you will have but there are so many new people coming across this page and podcast daily that I felt it was needed to put context on who I am and how I came to be in this position, helping to support and give space to those who grieve and have lost.

I have no problem ever saying a few words but this did feel intimidating and I am nervous putting this out there but Im just going to do it and move forward then and not care too much about the response. It will reach and help those it is meant to.

A continued thank you to you all for following along and supporting the podcast. Don't forget to do all the usual things to support and help it to continue to grow.

For more information about the grief workshop and grief retreats please check out www.griefireland.com

This season has been brought to you by LOVE CHERISH https://www.lovecherish.com/

Thank you Maeve and team for your support and belief

Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@familyflowersonly

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/griefireland/?hl=en

This week, I sit down with Kirsty Forde, who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her partner, Glenn Fullam. Kirsty and Glenn were young, so in love, and raising their little boy Cruz when Glenn was suddenly diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, a rare and fast-moving illness that doctors couldn’t even name.

What followed was a devastating and rapid decline, and Kirsty was left facing the unimaginable, life without the person she thought she'd spend forever with.

This is a story of love, loss, and strength, and I know so many of you will connect deeply with Kirsty's honesty, heartbreak, and quiet resilience.

You can find Kirsty on TikTok and Instagram @KirstyForde

For tickets and more information about our Grief Workshop in Dublin Oct 19th please visit www.griefireland.com

Follow us on TikTok @familyflowersonly

https://www.tiktok.com/@familyflowersonly?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

This week, I sit down with Marie Kealy, who bravely shares the story of her beautiful daughter, Hannah. At just two years old, Hannah’s life was tragically cut short, and what follows is a conversation that is incredibly raw, heartbreaking, and deeply important.

Despite her unimaginable grief, Marie and her husband Denis made the powerful decision to donate Hannah’s organs a choice that has gone on to save the lives of others. In this episode, Marie speaks not only about love and loss, but also about legacy, awareness, and honouring the good that Hannah brought into the world in her short time here.

This is a difficult listen at times, but it’s one filled with meaning, hope, and a mother’s fierce desire to make sure her daughter’s life continues to help others.

Brought to you by lovecherish.com

For more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com

Most weeks on Family Flowers Only, we sit down with someone who’s experienced an enormous loss, and together we walk through their story of love, grief, and everything in between. But this week, I wanted to take a little pause from the weight of those stories because grief can be so heavy, and I know how much it stirs up for people listening.

So I’ve invited someone very special to me on this week, Caroline Fitzgerald. Caroline is an EFT practitioner and an oncology nurse. She works closely with me on our grief retreats, offering incredible support through tapping, breath work and just a beautiful calming presence.

Her work has brought her into close contact with grief, trauma, and the way it lives in the body. This conversation is a softer one, a slower one, something to give you a bit of space if you’re carrying your own loss today.

Whether you’re grieving or supporting someone who is, I really hope there’s something in this episode that lands gently for you.

You can find Caroline here https://www.instagram.com/carolinefitzgerald.ie/

This week on the podcast, I sit down with Sinead Earls, a devoted mum who shares the story of her beautiful son Cialin. Cialin was a unique and special little boy full of light, curiosity and love. He had autism and faced a number of health challenges in his short life, including scoliosis and epilepsy. In December 2021, Cialin tragically passed away after a sudden epileptic seizure, known as SUDEP Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. Sinead speaks so openly and lovingly about his life, their bond, and the grief that follows a loss like this. It’s a conversation about deep love, resilience, and honouring the memory of a very special boy.

You can find Sinead on Instagram @cialins_everglow

For more information on Grief Retreats visit www.griefireland.com