Family Flowers Only by Grief Ireland

This week’s episode is a catch-up conversation with previous guest Sophia Murphy where we reflect on how she has navigated Christmas and the months since we last spoke.

Sophia’s grief journey is complex and deeply personal. In this episode, she speaks about surviving childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father, the long-term impact that trauma has had on her life, and the work she has done around healing. She also shares her experience of engaging in restorative justice, including visiting her father in prison to confront the past, and how this process has supported her own recovery.

This is an honest, thoughtful conversation about trauma, survival, and the different paths people take toward healing. We also reference our previous episode together which listeners may wish to revisit for further context. Just search for Family Flowers Only with Sophia Murphy.

⚠️ Content notice: This episode contains discussion of childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, and trauma, which some listeners may find distressing. Please take care while listening.

For those looking for ongoing support, I’ve created a private membership space called After the Flowers.

Join here - https://after-the-flowers.circle.so/checkout/after-the-flowers-membership

To hear more from Sophia her own podcast is called "Having the chats with Peter and Sophia" and you can find that wherever you get your podcasts

This week I sit down with Charlotte Finn, who speaks openly about losing her dad Michael to oesophageal cancer. Charlotte was just 13 when her dad was diagnosed and 14 when he died. Now 19 she reflects back on that time with remarkable honesty and insight.

Charlotte shares what it was like to be a teenager watching a parent become ill and how even knowing he was sick she never truly believed he would die. She speaks about the shock of losing him so young, the way grief showed up during her teenage years and how that loss has shaped who she is today.

It’s a powerful conversation that offers a rare and important perspective on parental loss through the eyes of a young person.

For more information on joining our membership please visit www.griefireland.com

This week I sit down with Edel Killilea for an incredibly moving and emotional conversation. Edel’s story is one of huge love and immense loss.

She speaks about loosing her baby daughter Sienna who was born with a heart condition and lived for just a few precious days. In the months that followed Edel also lost her baby nephew who lived for only one day and later her brother Kevin to cancer.

At the heart of this episode is Edel’s story of true love with her husband John who was diagnosed with a rare form of Parkinson’s known as MSA. Edel speaks so beautifully about the life they shared, the pure character he was, and the indescribable ache of loosing her soulmate.

Edel also shared some of her incredible poetry, her therapy and coping mechanism. She closed the episode by reading one of her own poems and holding little "Sienna bunny" a teddy who was on her lap the whole time.

For more information about Grief retreats and the "After the Flowers" Membership coming soon visit www.griefireland.com

This week join me from my home for a solo episode! I wanted to be with you this New Year's Eve to highlight how hard the day can be while navigating grief.

As this year comes to an end I also wanted to share a couple of touching voice notes from listeners and past guests. This really feels like a community here and Im just so grateful to be with you all each week as you walk this difficult road.

Thank you all so much for listening and for sharing. I will see you all on Sunday with another episode. Kathie x

For more information on the upcoming membership join the mailing list on www.griefireland.com

I caught up remotely with Eimear and Alan who I recorded a full episode with back in April. They spoke so honestly about the devastation of loosing their precious daughter Keeley and today we caught up about how they have been since the podcast aired, how different their Christmas now looks, what they do to honour and celebrate Keeley around Christmas and just reflections on Grief in general. I do hope this conversation will help those who are struggling today x

This week I sit down with Clara Gardiner who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her younger sister Jemma. Jemma lived with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and while she was a bright, bubbly, and deeply loved girl, her death following a medical procedure came as a devastating shock. She died from sepsis.

Clara speaks openly about how misunderstood her sister’s passing was and how that added another layer of pain to their loss. She also shares her own experience of grief, the numbness, the fear of not being able to cry or feel anything at all, and the realisation that grief doesn’t always look the way we expect it to.

It’s a deeply honest conversation about sibling loss, love, and learning to trust your own way of grieving.

For more information on grief retreats and support, visit www.griefireland.com.

This week I sit down with Peter Shelley who shares the heartbreaking story of losing his baby daughter Aodhla suddenly at just eight weeks old to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Peter speaks honestly about the shock of that loss, the devastation that followed, and what it’s like to grieve the death of a child as a parent particularly from a father’s perspective. We talk about how grief can look different for mums and dads, the silence men often carry, and the importance of speaking openly about their pain.

Peter now hosts his own podcast Dads Don’t Cry continuing the conversation around grief and childloss.

This week I sit down with Hazellynn Doyle, who speaks so openly about the devastating loss of her dad Derek.
He died instantly in a tragic road accident when a HGV lorry made a left-hand turn while he was cycling home from work a week before Christmas.

Hazel shares the shock of that day, the grief that followed, and the pain of not being able to say goodbye as his coffin had to remain closed. Her honesty, love, and strength shine through every part of this conversation.

For more information on grief retreats and support, visit www.griefireland.com.

This week I sit down with Shannon Gallagher who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her partner Eoin to suicide. Shannon speaks with incredible honesty about the shock and trauma of the day she found him and the profound impact that moment has had on her life.

She opens up about the PTSD that followed, the fear in the early days, and the long difficult road of trying to understand a loss that can never fully make sense.

It’s a deeply emotional and courageous conversation, shining a light on the reality so many people live with behind closed doors and the importance of compassion, support, and speaking openly about mental health.

For more information on grief retreats and support, visit www.griefireland.com.

This week I’m joined by Kitty Maguire who shares the heartbreaking story of losing her mam Jo on Christmas Eve. Jo was on her way to Kitty’s house when a drunk driver hit her car and killed her instantly.

At a time of year that’s already so emotional for so many Kitty speaks with incredible honesty about the shock of that night, the grief that follows a sudden death, and the empty space her mam has left behind every day since.

In this episode in collaboration with the Road Safety Authority, we also talk about the devastating impact of drunk driving and the lives changed forever by one decision behind the wheel.

For more information on grief retreats and workshops please visit www.griefireland.com.