Living with Dementia is a process of continuous loss, described by many as a ‘living grief’. The Forget Me Nots Choir, offers sanctuary and support to those living with or affected by Dementia, whereby members can share happy moments with their loved ones or find comfort alongside those who share the same experience. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Orla Orna Founder of the choir and Gerry O’Halloran, share their stories of supporting their mum Kathleen and wife Mary through their journeys with Dementia and the huge impact the choir has had in coping with their grief

Gina Daly became a household name during COVID, thanks to her daily instagram posts about her weight struggles and her evening cook-a-longs with her husband, Karol. Four cookery books then followed, in a success achieved against a background of loss, both through miscarriage and the death of her Dad. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Gina tells me about this life of parallels, the heartbreak of being told her baby was gone, whilst alone in the hospital, her immense sadness losing her Dad, having already lost her Mum in her teens, and the joy and hope her rainbow baby, Gene has brought into her life.

Emma Fogarty was baptised a few days after birth, as the doctor didn’t expect her to live for long, probably not even a week. Now at 41, Emma is the longest living person in Ireland with EB, or Butterfly Skin as it in better known. In her first ever podcast interview, Emma talks about the life she would have had without EB, and while it may have robbed her of a future it’s given her things she would have never had without it. Never asking ‘why me’, Emma talks about the psychological pain of Secondary school, her thoughts on dying, and her work with Debra Ireland. Emma’s new book ‘Being Emma, Living my Best Life with Butterfly Skin’ is out now!

Jack Ebbs is running this years Dublin Marathon in memory of his cousin Jenny O’Riordan, who passed away aged just 26, to sudden cardiac death. In this episode Jack talks about his passion for raising awareness to save others, the symptoms to look out for and the incredible work of CRY Ireland to help support those affected.

TV Presenter and Panto Star, Alan Hughes was just 10 years old, when he lost both his Mum and Dad within 6 months of each other. In this weeks episode of The Grief Pod, Alan talks about how he survived the trauma of losing both his parents at such a young age, his subsequent heartbreak at losing his sister Doreen and his brother David, his mission to make memories for families at the Panto and how proud his Mum and Dad would be.

Author Julia Kelly’s Mum, Delphine passed away swimming in The Galápagos Islands in 2012. While her new book Still is a memoir of her Mum, it is also her way of saying, goodbye. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Julia talks about her Mum and how she embraced life following the death of Julia’s Dad, John. She also talks about the trauma of giving birth to her baby, Lucia, 17 weeks into her pregnancy, and the inhumane way her late partner Charlie spent his last days with dementia, separated from his family during COVID.

Dr Suzanne Crowe is a consultant in Paediatric Intensive Care, President of the Irish Medical Council, and Author of a new book ‘Intensive Care, True stories of healing, heartache and hope from inside Irish children’s medicine’ In this weeks episode of The Grief POD, Suzanne describes how the death of her baby daughter, Beatrice affected her, and changed her purpose as a doctor, the impact of losing a young patient in your care, and how she’s navigated life since the loss of her husband Barry, six years ago.

Tony Griffin, a GAA All Star in hurling, stepped aside from his career to cycle 7,000km across Canada, as he tried to come to terms with the death of his Dad, Jerome. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Tony openly talks about the difficulty he had understanding his grief and expressing it, and how that period in his life inspired ‘Saying Goodbye’ a chapter in his new edition of ‘The Teenagers Book of Life’

In this episode of The Grief Pod, Businesswoman, Entrepreneur and Journalist Norah Casey talks about balancing life and loss, after the death of her husband Richard, the physical exhaustion of grief and the importance of looking forward and not back.

Alan Fletcher played Dr Karl Kennedy in the iconic soap Neighbours for 30 years. In this weeks episode he talks about the challenges of acting out bereavement scenes and the impact the end of the series had for some viewers. Alan also talks about his late Mum’s spirituality, how she inspires his music, the loss of his two dogs Lola and Teddy and our need to be kinder. Alan will be performing with his band at The Sugar Club, Tuesday 12th August

‘Ambiguous Loss’ refers to a loss that remains unclear, making it impossible to grieve in a ‘traditional’ way. This is the sort of grief, many experience when a loved one goes missing. On this weeks episode, Jean Mahon talks about her brother Richard Doolan, who has been missing for 24 years.

Grief and loss run through the core of Author, Liz Nugent’s novels. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Liz talks about her own personal grief, how losing her Dad has impacted on her life, and the connection she has with the struggles of her characters.

Purple House, was founded in 1990 to help families for whom cancer has become part of their daily lives. On this weeks episode of The Grief Pod, Louise Mulgrew talks about losing her Dad, Mum and Sister to cancer, in a very short space of time, how her loss inspired the fundraising Beirne 3 Peaks Challenge, and her work for Purple House

A few weeks ago broadcaster Nikki Hayes spoke openly and honestly about her struggles with addiction, homelessness and her recent journey of recovery. On this weeks episode, Nikki shares what the reaction has been like, the guilt and grief of the lost years with her daughter, the trauma of her Dads passing and the kindness of people she met whilst living on the streets.

The senseless murder of Kathleen Chada’s two boys Eoghan 10, and Ruairi 5, at the hands of their father almost 12 years ago, is a story that still continues to shock and sadden. In this episode of The Grief Pod, Kathleen talks about her campaigning for victims, and the laws that need to change, her struggle during COVID and how her love for her two boys keeps her going

Ten years ago, Joanne Ryan returned one evening to find her partner, Killian had died suddenly at home. He was 31. In this weeks episode, Joanne talks about Killian’s death from sudden cardiac failure, the complexities of trying to move forward and the support she found through Cry Ireland

Singer Paul Harrington, lost his Mum and four of his siblings to cancer, in a short space of time. In this weeks episode of The Grief Pod, Paul discusses the impact such tremendous loss has had on his life, his feelings of anger and regret, and his search for positivity.

On this episode of The Grief Pod, Life and Health Coach, Helen Walsh talks about how to find a ‘new kind of normal’ after a bereavement, how to start over when all you want is for things to stay the same, how grief affects the nervous system and the importance of self care.

Victoria Mary Clarke, lost her husband Shane McGowan 18 months ago. After having been together for nearly 40 years, talks about the coping strategies that get her through the deep dark days, the importance of supporting people going through grief in your community and how Shane would like to be remembered

On this weeks episode, Life Celebrant Conor Clear talks about the alternative ways to celebrate the memory of a loved one, in a way that is fitting to them. Conor also talks about the need for us all to plan ahead, and let our loved ones know how we would like to be remembered, and how we all can create meaningful ceremonies to reflect our unique lives.