On todays episode of Family Flowers Only I spoke to Sophia Murphy Sophia is a recently qualified PT and a mom from Galway TW. Please be advised that this episode contains conversations of childhood sexual abuse and is often times upsetting. See below for helpline advice Sophias story of loss begins in childhood when heartbreakingly, as a baby her father began abusing her. She endured many years of absolute hell and torture until the abuse came to an end at the age of 16 when another...

On todays episode of Family Flowers Only I spoke to Mary McHugh. Mary is a psychotherapist with over 25 years experience and the owner of www.counsellingonline.ie We sat down and spoke about her own experiences of loss, one being the breakdown of her marriage when she was pregnant with her third child.  We also answered all of your questions that you sent in, from how to cope with guilt, feeling numb, how to know if therapy is right for you and the feeling of not wanting to be here...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Kathleen Chada Kathleen is from Carlow, she is a nurse and mom to Eoghan and RuairÍ. She is a campaigner for real justice and author of the book “Everything” Please be aware the following details some listeners might find upsetting and in this episode we discuss murder, suicide ideation, death and loss. On July 29, 2013, Kathleen’s former husband Sanjeev Chada murdered their sons, Eoghan (10) and Ruairí (5), and later attempted to...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Claire Walsh  Claire is from Kildare, she is a freediver, year-round sea swimmer and teacher of breathwork courses. She is also author of her book "UNDERWATER" She lives in Dublin with her husband Boudy.  Having both discussed early on in their relationship their desire to expand their family by having children they had plenty of dreams and hopes for the future.  Unfortunately getting pregnant isn’t simple or a given and like...

On this weeks episode of Family Flowers Only I speak to Annette Burke Annette is from Galway and is a trainee psychotherapist.  Her early life faced challenge and loss of sorts as her brother battled with poor mental health which put a lot of strain on the family. In 2020 Annettes mother Teresa passed away after a short illness which caused a great deal of complexity surrounding her grief as their relationship had been strained in the lead up to her mothers diagnosis.  Sadly her...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Aidan Brennan  Aidan is from Roscommon, husband to Tracey and Dad to Evan. Aidans wife Tracey was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer in 2017 following a smear test. She went on to advocate for access to the drug Pembroe and campaigned alongside Vicky Phelan and Aine Morgan, the drug was made available for the women of Ireland something Tracey and the other ladies valiantly fought for. Unfortunately the drug did not work for Tracey and she...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Diane Healy  Diane is from Sligo, a Guard and mom to little Caolán. Diane first experienced grief when she lost her dad Hugh 6 weeks before her wedding to the love of her life Ronan. They went on to build a beautiful life together and during lockdown they were so content in their own little bubble with their new little baby when devastatingly tragedy struck again when Ronan lost his life in a RTC. Diane so bravely spoke to me about...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Fiona Maguire  Fiona hails from Dublin, a mom and a psychotherapist and Counsellor Fiona first experienced grief and loss in her life at the tender age of 9 years old, when she lost her mom at the age of 32 to cancer.  Unfortunately tragedy would visit Fiona again when on her 13th wedding anniversary her beloved husband Mark took his own life at the age of 38 Fiona talked to me about the grief and shock that accompanies suicide,...

On todays episode of family flowers only I speak to Amy wall  Amy lives in county Clare she is a mom to 3 children with 1 on the way and wife to Vinnie  In March 2017, 11 weeks after their second child Mannix was born, Amy’s world was turned upside down when her husband Vinnie and her 3 year old daughter Estlin were involved in a serious collision whilst they were driving to Creche.  What followed is what I could only describe as a living nightmare.  Amy talks so openly and honestly with...

On todays episode of Family flowers only I talk to Thomas Kiely, husband to Angela and dad of Thomas J.  Thomas and Angela were childhood sweethearts meeting in 4th class in school, and in Sept 2015 their world changed forever when Angela was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Angela had a long road and fought hard against the disease but sadly passed away in 2019.  Thomas spoke to me so honestly about his own personal Grief and loss. We spoke about Cancer, his own mental health...

On todays episode of Family flowers only I talk to Louise Leye. Louise is from Galway and is mom to 3 beautiful kids, 2 are here with her and one lives in Heaven, her beautiful little girl Sadbh sadly was born sleeping. We spoke all about the stigma around stillbirth, the wonderful care and compassion her family received as they journeyed home to Ireland to lay Sadbh to rest and why its so important to Louise to speak her little girls name. This is something that’s not often discussed out...

On todays episode of Family flowers only I talk to Susan Moylan. Susan is a counsellor and CEO of the Stephen Moylan Foundation.  In 2003 Susan was on holidays with her husband Sean and their children when Sean tragically died in his sleep with a virus in the brain at the age of 43. Sadly the tragedy didn’t end there when Susans beloved son Stephen died tragically in Spain at the young age of 30. We spoke about the nightmare of loosing a loved one abroad, the horrific moment when a mother...

On todays episode of Family Flowers Only I talk to Alison Finnegan, wife of the late Anthony Anto Finnegan, beloved former Antrim GAA footballer and Captain. In 2012 Anto was diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease, a disease he bore with great courage strength and bravery. Along with his family he worked tirelessly to raise awareness and funds of MND. Anto sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 48. Alison and I spoke about the shock of diagnosis, the daily losses that come with MND, the...

On todays episode of Family flowers only I talk to Peter Mahony, a therapist specialising in Grief in his own practice called by your side therapy. In May 2019 Peters world was rocked when he received a phone call to tell him his brother Andrew Mahony, a popular talented musician and Voice of Ireland star, had died by suicide. We spoke about what led up to that point, the endless questions after, the coroners court, how his family found meaning since loosing Andrew and the gift of therapy....

On todays episode of "Family Flowers Only" I talk to Corinna Tolan. Corrina in her professional life is a skin expert and is at the helm of one of the most successful skincare practices in the country called Monica Tolan Beauty, she’s also a mum to 2 girls and the host of a successful podcast - "Skin Deep" Today we discussed her experience of Grief, loosing both of her parents, Francis and Monica, and how being there with them as they passed from this world was a gift she treasures. Her...

On todays episode of "Family Flowers Only" I talk to Sinead Kavanagh better known as “The Beaut Truth’ online. A busy working mom Sinead spoke to me about loosing her beloved Dad Dessie from Brain Cancer. I got a real feel for how special their relationship was and the character Dessie was. We spoke about how difficult it was to navigate supporting her dad during his illness and particularly during lockdown and Covid times. We also spoke of the incredible work that the hospice do. This is a...

Introducing Family Flowers Only -A podcast by Grief Ireland

Welcome to "Family Flowers Only", a podcast by Grief Ireland about all things Grief, Love and Loss hosted by Kathie Stritch. A place to normalise grief, educate and have space. A place to remember, to share, to be heard, and to feel safe. In this episode host Kathie of Grief Ireland gives you a little background into why she set this podcast up, and her own personal story of Grief and Loss. Check out our Spotify Playlist 'Grief Ireland' - A playlist of songs from our community that was a...