Séamas O’Reilly is a Derry born writer for The Observer and The New York Times, who speaks to Sasha and Venetia about his mother Sheila, who passed away three weeks before his sixth birthday in October 1991. Driving back from the Belfast hospital on the night of her death, his father was faced with the mammoth task of raising 11 children as a loan parent for the first time.  An exceptionally talented and descriptive writer, Séamas’s memoir “Did Ye Hear Mammy Died?” comes out in Spring 202,...

This week's Grief Encounters is a little bit different than usual. Regular listeners of the podcast know that we often focus an episode on the life and loss of someone dear to our guests.  Kelsie Donelly  is a PHD graduate from Queen’s University Belfast who recently got in touch with us about her research that looks into the ways in which 21st century literature can provide a new perspective on our grief. We were delighted to share this podcast with her, as she discussed how 2020 and...

One of the most difficult things a person can experience in their lifetime is hearing the news that a loved one has died both prematurely and unexpectedly.  In 2016, Neil Fox's life was changed forever, after gardaí knocked to his door to inform him his sister Donna had passed away in a cycling accident that morning. In the years since Neil’s personal experience with both grief and trauma has brought him on an incredible journey through sobriety, sexuality and ultimately becoming more...

This week’s guest recently described grief as “the companion you never wanted”, a sentiment that is shared by all of the team involved in making this podcast series.  Amanda Grace is the daughter of Brendan Grace, one of Ireland's all-time legendary figures in comedy and entertainment, who’s death in July 2019 saw a special public outcry of grief and love, in a way that very few people garner. Amanda is a former 'rock school rebel' turned spiritual guide. Her offerings in contemplative...

This week’s guest, Justin Caffery and his wife Beatrice have gone through something no parents should ever have to deal with in their lifetime. The loss of a child.  In 2011 after a series of devastating miscarriages, Beatrice became pregnant once more. 25 weeks into the pregnancy during a family holiday in Malaga, Beatrice’s waters broke, leading to the extremely premature birth of their son Joshua. Joshua was born with a host of medical complications causing Justin and his wife and 4 year...

Today's guest Beth French lost her mum when she was just 20 years old, from cancer of the bile duct, having just  finished her second year of university. Beth's mother was in her early 50s and had been completely healthy, so her loss left Beth and her family in a complete sense of shock. Like many people who experience grief, she found that  her perspective had shifted and now had a new aspect of her identity that was not commonly shared by many young people, feeling like a member of a club...

Racism is a massive issue in Ireland today and something that we, as a country are not exempted from. The past 3 weeks of global protest at systematic racism in America has also shone light on great changes that need to happen closer to home. On this week’s podcast Sasha and Venetia look at how racial abuse can have devastating impacts on those targeted by it, speaking to Aisling O’Neill a mother and advocate from Tipperary. In September 2019 Aisling’s 16 year old daughter Mia took her own...

Jane Mckenna is the founder of Ireland's only children's hospice, and The Laura Lynn Foundation, both named after her two children, Laura and Lynn. Sadly, her vision to create a national children’s hospice spawned from utter tragedy. Jane joined Sasha & Venetia for an incredibly moving episode of Grief Encounters, where she speaks about how her family's journey through unthinkable loss, made her determined to give back in her own grief - leaving an incredible legacy for her two...

The COVID 19 outbreak has touched the lives of thousands of families across Ireland, and more than ever before the prospect of an unexpected loss is a growing concern for many.  Grief is complicated even on the best of days, but now as our lives are restricted in so many ways, the way grieve has also changed dramatically. There has been a lot of emphasis on the obvious physical changes such as funeral capacities and hospital visitations but in reality, the restrictions that we are living...

This week’s podcast is slightly different as we listen to an incredible conversation between Sasha and Megan Devine, who you might remember from one our favourite episodes last year: It’s Okay That You’re Not Okay. Sasha and Megan chatted during an ‘Insta Live’ on Megan’s incredible Refuge In Grief Chanel about grieving in such unprecedented time of our lives. They chat through how to help our friends and family be a support during grief, how we are all being effected at the moment and how...

“I walked into the bathroom and leaned on the sink. It was a strong contraction and instinctively I reached down to deliver my own daughter. She was born sleeping. No cry. No noise. No heartbeat. I yelled for my husband and he held my shaking body while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.   It was my third pregnancy and my first daughter. Nina. She had been with me for 38 weeks. I smiled the entire pregnancy daydreaming of holding my beautiful girl.”   These are words from today’s guest,...

Dalymount Park, otherwise known as The Home of Irish Football has seen some really special performances taken place in it’s One Hundred and Twenty-year history. This May, that trend will hopefully continue as, this week’s guests Tony Owen’s & Mike Culshaw will represent a team of bereaved fathers, as they take on an international team of men, who have also been affected by Stillbirth or Neonatal oss. Both teammates join Sasha for this special episode, as they chat about their experience...

This week Sasha and Venetia were joined in studio by Bríd Shine, midwife specialist in perinatal palliative care and bereavement for over ten years to discuss her incredibly important role in helping mothers who suffer stillbirth and neonatal birth in Ireland. If you're looking for a safe haven to express how you feel,  Share articles, photos ,memories and more, Join the Grief Encounters Facebook Group, A place for support, compassion and empathy for those...

This weeks guest is Fiona Tuomey, Founder and Director of HUGG which is an incredible charity that provides suicide bereavement support groups and online resources. In January 2016, Fiona’s beautiful daughter Milly died by suicide at the age of 11, just six weeks away from her twelfth birthday. In the four years since Fiona has done incredible work, campaigning for vital youth and adult mental health services to be implemented countrywide, highlighting some gaping flaws in the Irish health...

This week Sasha and Venetia sat down to record a podcast without the addition of any guests, to discuss their own grief as well a variety of other important matters that have been brought up in the Grief Encounters community online.  In the episode, they both discuss the recent anniversaries that have taken place for them, and what way the podcast has affected their own approach to these days. In the wake of some tragic and high-profile celebrity deaths in recent weeks, they also look at...

This weeks guest is The Sunday Times’ writer Laura Kennedy, a leading voice in grief conversation here in Ireland over the past five years. Laura’s work has done a huge amount in distilling a more modern approach to how we discuss the people we have lost in our lives, as well as the grief that comes with doing so. She spoke to Sasha about her beautiful mother Emma, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2015.  In the interview she spoke in detail about her mother’s illness and trying to...

This week’s guest is a mother from Manchester who’s life was turned completely upside down, on the night of May 22nd 2017. Figen Murray’s son Martyn Hett was one of 22 innocent concert-goers killed at a suicide bombing that devastated Manchester and beyond, as Salman Abedi, detonated an explosive device in the foyer of The Manchester Arena.  Speaking to Sasha, she described the night of the terrorist attack, as they excruciatingly awaited some positive news, as information trickled into...

This week’s guest is the New Zealand rugby journalist, charity worker and children's book author Brent Pope, who joined Sasha and Venetia to speak about minding your mental health after the loss of a loved one.  There is a huge symbiosis between grief and mental health, and in recent years Brent has done stellar work in speaking about his struggles with depression and anxiety. Last April, Brent's father sadly passed away after battling Parkinson’s Disease at home in New Zeland. Brent...

Erin McGathy is an American podcaster and comedian who has found her home in Dublin, since moving here in 2016. During her teenage years, she lost her mother Susan to cancer at the young age of 42. A seminal period in Erin’s young life. Last year during the run up to Mothers Day, Erin shared an incredibly open account on social media of her sometimes-beautiful, sometimes-complicated relationship with her mother, and how her illness managed to further these feelings.  “She told me that she...

Since beginning the podcast, there have been certain topics that have featured in many episodes, but surprisingly the subject of childhood-loss has been relatively undiscovered so far. Today’s guest, Giles-Paley Philip's is a writer and podcaster from East Sussex, best known for his award-winning Children's books, and the excellent Blank Podcast, which delves into those moments when things aren't working right.  At the age of 6, Giles lost his mother to Leukaemia, and that grief is...

How do you cope with the death of a parent at 24 years old? The time when you’re somewhere between independence and reliance on parents, figuring out who you are and what you want to do, and trying to maintain friendships and a social life when your world is crumbling around you and no one understands. This weeks podcast guest is Rose Yavneh Taylor, author of 365 Days Past the Traffic Lights, a beautifully compelling account of the first 365 days following the death of her father, Cyrus...

Sasha looks back on what has been an incredible debut 12 months for Grief Encounters, featuring some of the most powerful interviews on the podcast to date.  On behalf of all the team, we want to wish our listeners and past guests a joyous and prosperous 2020. We will be back next Tuesday with our first show of the New Year. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy

Christmas can be a difficult time for anyone who has experienced loss in the past, and feelings of grief can be greatly amplified in these busy few weeks. This week on the podcast Sasha & Venetia revisit their first ever episode of Grief Encounters in an incredibly insightful interview Dr Colman Noctor, who is an Adolescent Psychotherapist with St Patrick's Mental Health Services. Christmas is a time built on traditions for many people, and Colman discusses the positives and negatives...

This week’s guest is a tenor, writer and performer whos beautiful show Nine Weeks received widespread acclaim at this years Dublin Fringe Festival. Nine Weeks deals with Seán Kennedy’s experience of bringing his terminally-ill mother home from Australia, at the hands of an abusive partner. Seán’s account of his weeks spent in Victoria Point caring to his mother, and ultimately freeing her from the control of her partner genuinely have to be heard to be believed. It is a story where the...