Shows
aftering podcastsAftering - 'Death And Birth In My Life' Mats Staub'Death and Birth in my Life' is a long term work from Swiss artist Mats Staub. He explores the human condition around the world in his art collecting life stories. Simone von Büren is dramaturg on the project and joins to discuss the process, how Mats has so far recorded participants from South Africa, Congo, Switzerland, Germany, France and will now be recording in Dublin. Those chosen share the very human experiences of death and birth in their lives. Simone also explains the special duty of care required for both subject and viewer when putting together the work and s...
2021-07-2128 min
aftering podcastsAftering – Fascination of Ireland's dark pastIn this episode, hearing about a fascinating new book exploring Dark Tourism spaces in Ireland and this country’s special cultural attitude to death.
I got the chance to speak with Dr Gillian O’Brien. She is an historian and author who has written “The Darkness Echoing: Exploring Ireland's Places of Famine, Death and Rebellion'.
Her book ‘The Darkness Echoing: Exploring Ireland’s Places of Famine, Death and Rebellion’ is out now and can be found in all good bookshops and via online too.
2021-07-0227 min
aftering podcastsAftering — How to age wellOn today’s programme – fascinating insights from a long-term study on ageing in Ireland. Dr Aisling O’Halloran from 'The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing - A study of people in Ireland aged 50 and over' shares some of what has been found so far. The study has been discovering the reality of growing older and why your biological age can be way more important than your age in years.
If you would like to see the research it can be found at tilda.tcd.ie
2021-06-2128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Protecting Dublin's historic graveyardsIn this programme, looking at an innovative Dublin City Council proposal to protect the heritage of Dublin’s old cemeteries. Typically these space have been closed to new burials for decades so have been locked to the public for many years.
Labour councillor Dermot Lacey has proposed a way to open these peaceful green biodiverse areas spaces again by sensitively integrating columbarium walls. These are structures used to house urns of cremated remains. This would allow for local families to have an alternative for interments of a loved ones ashes.
The cemeteries that are being assessed include old burial grounds in...
2021-05-2427 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Registering A Death In IrelandIn this episode, what you need to know about registering a death in Ireland and what steps you need to take when someone has died. Mary Watters from Citizens Information shares what questions they get asked the most from how to deal with the state, banks and utility companies. Citizens Information also will help people find supports and assist them find what they need during an incredibly difficult time.
CitizensInformation.ie
2021-05-1028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Irish Council for Civil Liberties and Coroners Of IrelandIn this programme, looking at Ireland’s Coroner's Court. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties commissioned a report 'Left Out in the Cold' looking into Ireland’s system of investigating deaths. It found serious failings that compound the suffering of bereaved families
I’m joined on the line by Liam Herrick, executive director of the Irish council for civil liberties to share what it found and what can be done to fix it.
ICCL.ie
2021-04-2628 min
aftering podcastsaftering - Marking grief with creative remembranceIn this programme, hearing about an innovative scheme to inspire and support creative responses to the themes of dying, death and bereavement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Irish Hospice Foundation in partnership with Creative Ireland have looked to do this with a special seed grant to support a wide range of projects. I'm joined by Dominic Campbell from the Irish Hospice Foundation who tells the story of the diverse group of awardees and explains the wide range of projects from remembrance murals to choral works to digital commemorations.
HospiceFoundation.ie
2021-03-0128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Pat Garry on Dublin Cemeteries And GraveyardsIn this episode, Pat Garry shares stories of Dublin's hidden history via its secret graveyards and fascinating cemeteries. He is a tour guide and does talks and tours with Richmond Barracks and 14 Henrietta Street — Dublin's tenement museum. Pat explains the macabre and surprisingly widespread business of bodysnatching to keep the many anatomy schools - both in Dublin and London - supplied during the 19th century. He also speaks about the tragic fate of the Irish Famine refugees who came to flee the countryside and starvation only to die in the city.
richmondbarracks.ie
2021-02-2228 min
aftering podcastsAftering — Sin EatersIn this programme, sin eaters, changelings and the supernatural. I got a chance to talk with storyteller Mark O’Géaráin about the darker side of Irish folktales and the real world consequences of it. He is Experience Manager at the National Leprechaun Museum and shares what he misses about having visitors while museums remain closed during the current pandemic.
2021-02-1628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Dr Ida Milne Spanish Flu 1918In this episode, Dr Ida Milne shares what she's discovered about life & death during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the parallels between then and now. She is a social historian who studies disease and has interviewed centenarian survivors in addition to extensively researching the events of over 100 years ago.
Her book 'Stacking the Coffins : Influenza, War and Revolution in Ireland, 1918-19' is published by Manchester University Press.
2021-02-0128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - IHF Bereavement Support Line at ChristmasGrief at Christmas — Irish Hospice Foundation have a bereavement support line that will continue to operate over the holiday period. Orla Keegan explains what to expect if you call and the supports available for people coping with grief and loss.
HospiceFoundation.ie
bereavement.ie
2020-12-2128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Helping a child cope with griefMy name is Valerie Vetter and welcome to the aftering radio show: mortality & us. On this programme, helping a child cope with grief. My guest is Maura Keating from The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network and she shares ways of supporting children of various age groups deal with bereavement and the different ways they can experience sadness.
More information available from childhoodbereavement.ie,
Tusla.ie and the Irish Hospice Foundation at hospicefoundation.ie
2020-11-2327 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Dying With Dignity Bill 2020Journalist Stephen McDermott has been covering the Dying with Dignity Bill 2020 for TheJournal.ie. He shares what he's learnt about the background to the bill, what it contains and what are the possible outcomes from it.
twitter.com/Ste_McDermott
TheJournal.ie
2020-11-1628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Wills With Susan Murphy And Bernadette ParteEverything you wanted to know about writing a will but were afraid to ask. Will experts and solicitors Susan Murphy and Bernadette Parte answer questions including what is a will, why should you make one, what you need to know about the process and what to consider around legacy gifts to charity.
Susan Murphy from MakeMyWill.ie
Bernadette Parte from Parte and Associates - Parte.ie
MyLegacy.ie
2020-11-0929 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Suicide Or Survive's Eden ProgrammeOn this programme, I’m joined by Paula Lawlor from Suicide or Survive to talk about the work of the organisation, to learn about their free wellness webinars and hear about an innovative programme to enable people to regain mental health.
Please seek help if you are suffering from suicidal thoughts and feelings. Dublin Samaritans offer a free number from any phone 116 123
Suicideorsurvive.ie
2020-10-1228 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Looking at legacyConsidering your legacy – exploring how to gift money to charity after you're gone. Aoife Garvey from My Legacy answers questions on wills – how to select a charity or charities, the form of words to use & how the process works.
Will writing is an important process for everyone to go through. We all accumulate stuff over the course of a life and leaving that for others to sort through after we die can be very hard on those left behind.
It’s also an opportunity to figure out if there might be any financial gifts to leave to family, friends and perhap...
2020-10-0527 min
aftering podcastsAftering - GAA Museum Bloody Sunday ExhibitionTalking to Dr Siobhán Doyle about her perspective on the Remembering Bloody Sunday Exhibition at the GAA Museum. It explores the tragic events of November 21st 1920 through personal artefacts, reports and photographs. The exhibition concentrates on the stories of the victims of the attack.
https://crokepark.ie/bloodysunday
2020-09-2328 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Can archeology teach us about grief?Archaeology shows how humans have dealt with death for millennia. Psychologist Dr Jennie Dayes shares how research harnessing history helps therapists & anyone working with those facing bereavement today. Jennie is one of the team researching how the past can inform present attitudes to death, dying and grief.
A fascinating free online workshop takes place on Thurdsday 23 July 2020 – Bereavement and Archaeology: CPD for psychologists and counsellors - Jennie shares the back story to this innovative workshop and how it came together.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bereavement-and-archaeology-cpd-for-psychologists-and-counsellors-tickets-113315461596
2020-07-2027 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Death In Direct ProvisionThe system of Direct Provision was set up as an emergency measure in 1999. It is intended to provide asylum seekers with accommodation while waiting for a decision on their refugee status. It’s been long criticised by human rights organisations.
Cónal Thomas is a journalist who has been reporting on Direct Provision. He shares the surprising difficulties he’s faced obtaining data on those who have sadly died within the system and what happens to their bodies after their death.
https://www.thejournal.ie/deaths-direct-provision-4670179-Jun2019/
2020-07-2028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Coronavirus in the living and the deadAre viruses alive? Dr Cliona O'Farrelly is Professor of Comparative Immunology in Trinity College Dublin. She explains how viruses work in this episode. Dr O'Farrelly also explores what happens to viruses in a Covid-19 victim after they have died and how we have to be extra careful around the bereaved as their immune systems can also be affected by grief.
[Image from US National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases showing SARS-CoV2 covering a human cell]
2020-06-1528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Why it's important to document your healthcare wishesRecording healthcare wishes safeguards vulnerable adults and the people who care for them. Safeguarding Ireland found that 95 per cent of Irish adults have not taken any steps to document their wishes. This can cause huge difficulties around end-of-life care. Patricia Rickard-Clarke is chair of Safeguarding Ireland and she shares the results of the survey they conducted to explore if attitudes to healthcare planning have changed during the Covid 19 pandemic.
SafeguardingIreland.org
2020-06-0828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - How Covid-19 disproportionately affects Irish Travellers and RomaHow Roma and Travellers are disproportionately affected by Covid-19 in Ireland. These marginalised groups can't easily self-isolate and can find access to washing facilities very challenging. Martin Collins is co-founder of Pavee Point. He explains the very difficult circumstances these groups endure including homelessness, poverty and racism.
PaveePoint.ie
2020-05-2528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Learning about Covid-19 from death noticesWhat Dr Pádraig MacCarron discovered when he and Dr Gerard McCarthy analysed Irish death notice data and how they found unexpected patterns county by county.
Although not all deaths in Ireland are associated with Covid-19, it’s extremely useful to be able to map the effect that the virus has been having across the country in real time.
Dr Gerard McCarthy is a lecturer in the Department of Geography at Maynooth University. Dr Pádraig MacCarron is an applied mathematician and Complex Networks Researcher at the University of Limerick.
https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0505/1136496-death-notices-ireland-coronavirus/
2020-05-1219 min
aftering podcastsAftering - IHF's Covid19 information hub plus work of WorldVisionIn this episode, Rebecca Lloyd from the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) shares an overview of resources now available to help people on its new Care and Inform hub during the Covid-19 outbreak. IHF provides free helpful information on supports for those at end-of-life, coping with bereavement and the latest research on coronavirus.
https://hospicefoundation.ie/covid19careandinform/
Also on the programme, Maurice Sadlier of World Vision Ireland explains the work it has been doing to support vulnerable children. In the times of pandemic, it has been even more important to help families in dire circumstances particularly in 17 of the world's...
2020-04-2728 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Funeral Services And Coronavirus - Padraic Cawley Funeral CelebrantPadraic Cawley has been a civil funeral celebrant for a decade and has never experienced anything to compare to the reality of funeral services during the time of coronavirus.
What does it mean for funeral services when you can't shake hands, embrace or even carry the coffin of your loved one? He shares the current guidelines for families and how they can always revisit memorial services in the future when the pandemic subsides.
Padraic explains the innovative ways people are showing sympathy and solidarity when they are not allowed to attend memorials. At one service, the chapel was populated with...
2020-04-0626 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Talking About Death To Those With A Learning DisabilityIrene Tuffrey-Wijne is Professor of Intellectual Disability and Palliative Care. She has spent the past two decades researching the needs of people with learning disabilities who reach the end of life and those who are bereaved.
In this episode, Professor Tuffrey-Wijne answers questions about how to break bad news to those living with a learning disability. What are the best ways to tackle issues around dying, grief and the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic?
More information can be found on tuffrey-wijne.com
2020-03-2328 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Green Burial Society Of CanadaThe Green Burial Society of Canada have been striving to quantify what makes a green burial actually ‘green’. It equips people with the information to choose environmentally sustainable death practices. In this episode, five members of the Green Burial Society of Canada – Emily Bootle, Dawn Carson, Ellen Newman, Mark Richardson and board president Catriona Hearn join me on the line from across an array of time zones – from Vancouver to Nova Scotia – to share their experiences with green burial in Canada.
You can find the Green Burial Society of Canada on Facebook and Instagram.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/greenburia...
2020-03-0228 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Traditions, ritual and etiquette in Irish Islamic funeralsUnderstanding the deep traditions & ritual of Islamic funerals. Summayah Kenna and Amilah Ali (pictured) from the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland share how the dead are cared for within diverse Irish-Islamic community & answer questions on how non-Muslims can support bereaved friends.
More information can be found on islamireland.ie.
2020-02-2428 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Old Irish death traditions from National Folklore CollectionDirector of the National Folklore Collection, Dr Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh (pictured) shares some of the fascinating stories about old death traditions in Ireland. From the banshee to fairies to the ancient practices of wakes and keening – he explains how the collection was put together and the incredible first-hand accounts gathered from an Ireland very different from the one today.
duchas.ie
https://www.ucd.ie/folklore/en/
2020-02-1028 min
aftering podcastsAftering – The Irish Hindu community's rituals around deathHow the Hindu community tend to the dead in Ireland. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. Sudhansh Verma, director of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre Ireland is guest on the programme. He shares what special rituals take place around death in Hinduism and the adaptations for living in Ireland.
Hindu.ie
2020-01-2226 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Suicide in the Traveller communityThere’s a national crisis that has been going on for some time in Ireland. Travellers are identified as a ‘high-risk’ group for suicide and 82% of the community have been affected by it.
Eileen Flynn from the National Traveller Women's Forum shares the stories behind the statistics and what life is like for a Traveller in 21st century Ireland.
If you have been affected by anything in this programme, help and support is available by calling the Samaritans 24-hour helpline 116123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org
2019-11-2527 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Melanie Leamy - living with grief - Part TwoHow do you live with grief? I’m joined by Melanie Leamy whose husband Paul tragically died 16 months ago. She has been writing a deeply honest blog sharing her recent experiences. This conversation follows on from our previous programme where she shared how she and Paul met, married, dealt with his terminal cancer and ultimately the end of his life.
Melanie explains what she's learnt since then and shares how she is doing on her grief journey so far. She has found that her attitudes to life and even her choice of career has been reshaped in its aftermath.
More in...
2019-11-1827 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Irish Urns Bob HamiltonIt's hard enough to set up an ordinary business but what's it like to start a company that has the extra responsibility of dealing with customers who are bereaved. Bob Hamilton shares his personal story of how he came to set up Irish Urns. He provides people with a unique selection of Irish handmade & artisan-produced cremation urns and can ship them across the globe.
IrishUrns.com
2019-11-1527 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Melanie Leamy Bereavement Journey - Part OneMelanie Leamy shares her story. She is a young widow who's husband Paul tragically died less than two years ago. Melanie explains how they met, fell in love and got married in the shadow of Paul's cancer diagnosis. She speaks about how she became his carer and how they both faced into the end of his life. This is part one of Melanie's story. Part two will be available in the next few weeks.
Please see link below for her very honest blog documenting this very tough journey.
https://community.macmillan.org.uk/blogs/b/reflections-on-my-journey-with-loving-and-losing
2019-11-0424 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Brad Wolfe - ReImagine SFMeeting the founder of one of the largest community-driven events exploring end-of-life that I certainly have ever come across. I got the opportunity to visit Brad Wolfe at his base in San Francisco to hear about background story of Reimagine. It will take over the bay area for a week with 10,000 people attending over 250 diverse events. Letsreimagine.org for more information.
2019-10-2928 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Irish Hospice Foundation Forum 2019How dying is everyone's business. A preview of the Irish Hospice Foundation's upcoming tenth anniversary Forum taking place at Dublin Castle on 24 October. Angela Edghill shares details of its special line up of diverse speakers & practical workshops.
https://hospicefoundation.ie/programmes/public-awareness/forum-on-end-of-life-2019/
2019-10-1428 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Friends Of The Forgotten IrishThe woman who organised a funeral for a man she'd never met. Margaret Brown recounts the sad life of Joseph Tuohy and how she came to powerfully remind us of the plight of a generation of Forgotten Irish.
https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-the-Forgotten-Irish-556819894362444/
2019-10-0828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Anam CaraEach year, over 2,000 families will experience the death of a daughter or son. Anam Cara was founded in 2008, by bereaved parents to address the lack of bereavement support services available for families in Ireland, who have experienced the death of a child.
Guest Sharon Vard, CEO of Anam Cara shares how now three different organisations are combining their resources to help support bereaved parents.
You can find free tickets for the Bereavement support evening https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/anam-cara-parental-amp-sibling-bereavement-support-an-feilecain-and-pieta-house-26329975629 plus more information is available on anamcara.ie, feilecain.ie and pieta.ie
2019-09-1822 min
aftering podcastsAftering - What palliative care means to mePaul Fitzpatrick shares his moving story of receiving a life-changing diagnosis and what palliative care means for him and his family.
All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care
https://aiihpc.org/
St Francis Hospice
SFH.ie
2019-09-0928 min
aftering podcastsAftering - What is Palliative Care?Karen Charnley is director of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care. She explains the many strands that make up palliative care and how it creates a more holistic approach to treating patients and their families.
www.aiihpc.org
http://www.thepalliativehub.com/public-awareness
2019-08-1428 min
aftering podcastsAftering - painstaking work of forensic scientistsBehind the scenes at Forensic Science Ireland in Garda HQ to hear how it's now possible to identify cold case missing persons from bone fragment DNA & discover the incredible range of forensic methods used to solve crime with guest Dr Tom Hannigan.
ForensicScienceIreland.ie
2019-07-3127 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Extraordinary story of Dublin's Jewish Cemetery in BallyboughStory of extraordinary Jewish cemetery in Ballybough. Edwin Alkin, chairman of The Irish Jewish Museum shares its amazing history dating from 1714 and explains the ancient traditions involved in Jewish funerals. Dublin City Council is set to protect & restore this valuable part of Dublin's heritage.
https://jewishmuseum.ie
2019-07-2428 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Pushing Up The DaisiesTalking to Kate and Miriam from Pushing Up The Daisies Scotland. Taking care of a loved one after they’ve died has been the norm ever since there have been people. However, in the 21st century it might seem daunting if you’ve no experience of seeing it done or even know what options are available to you.
https://pushingupthedaisies.org.uk/about/
2019-05-2028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Acts Of Mourning - Doris SalcedoI got the chance to visit the Irish Museum of Modern Art to go behind the scenes of a major new exhibition of internationally-renowned Colombian artist Doris Salcedo. IMMA's Claire Power walks me through the gallery sharing the background behind the pieces exploring profound themes of memorial and loss. 'Acts of Mourning' brings together six bodies of work exploring how we remember and acknowledge victims of violence.
[Pictured: Atrabiliarios (1996) Doris Salcedo - courtesy of IMMA.ie]
https://imma.ie/whats-on/doris-salcedo-acts-of-mourning-exhibition/
2019-05-1327 min
aftering podcastsAftering - why it's important to talk about deathRebecca Lloyd shares her moving experience of the many death conversations she's facilitated with the Irish Hospice Foundation. These are free events where everyone is welcome to come along have a cuppa, some cake and be in a safe space to think about end-of-life and death. Death is such an individual and profound experience it can really help to learn and share fears and anxieties with others.
The next event takes place as part of the Bealtaine Festival - celebrating the arts and creativity as we age - where you get to drink tea, eat cake ... and think and talk...
2019-05-0127 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Re-imagining keening plus the story of AndvinylyIn this episode, UCC researcher Marian Caulfield shares her journey re-imagining the ancient practice of keening for 21st century Ireland. She also explores how lament might help change the way we approach mental health. Marian gives details of an upcoming three-day residential workshop – Learning To Cry Again – taking place in Bantry, Co Cork on April 26 2019. Details on Facebook: @PassionatePlanner and also @KeeningWorkshop
[16.41] My second guest is Jason Leach from AndVinyly. He's created a very special business accidentally. It came from developing a way of pressing vinyl records that include small amounts of cremated remains contained within them. He was looking to c...
2019-04-0828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - When asylum seekers die In IrelandHow many asylum seekers die in Direct Provision Centres? Hear from artist Vukasin Nedeljkovic who has created Asylum Archive. He was in a Direct Provision Centre while seeking asylum in Ireland. His powerful body of work includes memorials to those who died within the system and examines the effects on those caught in Direct Provision limbo.
https://www.facebook.com/directprovision/
2019-04-0227 min
aftering podcastsAftering – Jane Harris on making A Love That Never DiesHow do we grieve? Why do we grieve? And why are we afraid of those that do grieve? After their son Josh died, therapist Jane Harris & her BAFTA award-winning documentary maker husband Jimmy Edmonds made a powerful film to honour his memory and explore their grief through meeting other bereaved parents and hearing their stories.
https://alovethatneverdiesfilm.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thegoodgriefproject/
Twitter https://twitter.com/GoodGriefProj
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thegoodgriefproject/
2019-04-0227 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Design & Dignity Hospice Friendly HospitalsThe innovative initiative quietly changing the concept of end-of-life care in Irish hospitals for families, patients & staff. Guests Alice Anderson from the Irish Hospice Foundation and architect Ronan Rose Roberts share the back story to some of the challenging projects undertaken under the Design and Dignity and Hospice-Friendly Hospital initiative.
HospiceFoundation.ie
2019-03-2628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Norma Rohan Embrace FarmThe farming sector has the highest fatality rate in Ireland. Yet there's little or no emotional or practical support networks available to farm families suffering loss.
Norma Rohan, co-founder of EmbraceFARM shares her family's story and how they came to start a support network for those affected by farm accidents.
EmbraceFarm.ie
2019-03-0525 min
aftering podcastsAftering - What's it like to be part of a parish funeral team?Des Nix is a retired journalist and member of the parish funeral team of St John the Evangelist Kilbarrack-Foxfield in Dublin. He volunteers his time to assist bereaved families organise the funeral of a loved one. Des shares how he came to be involved and tells the story of how the death of his father when he was four-years old marked his life.
2019-02-2528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - who supports the bereaved after suicide?Supporting the bereaved after suicide. I visited the team behind Friends of Suicide Loss to learn about the incredible range of services they provide to help people after experiencing this profoundly traumatic event.
FOSL.ie
https://twitter.com/foslireland
2019-02-1828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - homeless deaths in Dublin - Dr Jo-Hanna IversLooking at a decade of homeless deaths in Dublin. Guest Dr Jo-Hanna Ivers from Trinity College Dublin shares findings from a new landmark study into the numbers and causes of death among the homeless population of the capital. Between 2005 and 2015, it has found 343 people died in the Dublin region. Shockingly, it also discovered that the average median age at death was 42 years old.
'Mortality amongst the homeless population in Dublin' can be found on homelessdublin.ie
2019-02-1126 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Is death denied or revived in the 21st century?Is death denied or revived in the 21st century? Guest Miriam Karrel shares her fascinating new research into Canadian Death Cafés. In the process, she gives an insightful historical overview of how we think about mortality – from the middle ages to the internet era. At the end of the programme, there's an extract from a previous interview with Jon Underwood, founder of the Death Café movement. In 2017, he tragically died at the age of 44. Jon describes how and why he started Death Café.
deathcafe.com
2019-02-0528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Power of sharing your grief experience with peersThe story of The Dinner Party where guest Carla Fernandez explains the idea behind this unique get together. If loss tragically hits you in your 20s or 30, it's a good bet that your circle of friends haven't experienced it yet. Co-founder Carla knows what that feels like. She and her co-founder set up The Dinner Party based on their own experiences where you can vent, share stories and compare notes with peers who are going through their own grief journeys.
TheDinnerParty.org
2019-01-2227 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Helen Culhane and the Children's Grief CentreMeeting the inspirational founder of the Children's Grief Centre. Sr Helen Culhane explains the story behind the centre and shares incredibly moving insights from the children she's supported over its decade-long existence. She and her colleagues are always learning from the incredible children who pass through the centre's doors.
childrensgriefcentre.ie
2019-01-1127 min
aftering podcastsAftering - When comics take on death, dying and griefComics and graphic novels are a great medium to explore some of life's more challenging subjects. Illustrator and comic-maker Debbie Jenkinson has created work exploring the highs and lows of the human condition. In this episode, we explore her work and that of other comic makers dealing with death, dying and bereavement. There is even a genre of 'hospice comics' where makers process the experience of coping with the decline and death of loved ones.
http://www.debbiejenkinson.net/
https://dublincomicarts.ie/
2018-12-0927 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Lucie Robson and The Memorial ProjectGuest Lucie Robson is a journalist and curator. She's proposing to hold a photographic exhibition – The Memorial Project – as a respectful comment on the brutal impact economic recessions/ depressions have on lives across the globe and to highlight both the need to support people going through such personal crises and the organisations that help them.
This dignified exhibition will display a selection of photographs provided by family and friends (the artists) of people who have taken their own lives because of economic reasons both in the aftermath of and since the 2008 crisis. She is in the early stages of the prop...
2018-11-2027 min
aftering podcastsAftering - SamhainThe night when the living and the dead share the earth: 'The hearth is cleaned up, the fire set, and the kitchen tidied up ...The door left on the latch and all retire to bed, after the Rosary is said. All this is done, so that the Holy Souls, of our dead friends, let free for the night, may again visit their home on earth, to refresh and rest themselves there, for a short time.'
Director of the Irish National Folklore Collection, Dr Críostóir Mac Cárthaigh (pictured) shares insights into the origins of Halloween. Exploring the anc...
2018-11-2028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Marie Brett - Last BreathWhat does it mean to die? Marie Brett talks about her new filmic artwork - Last Breath. The artist collaborated with palliative care specialists and researched Irish folklore traditions to create this special piece. It reflects the liminal space between being alive and dead using soundscapes echoing the ancient Irish practice of keening and utilising evocative visuals. She explains what she learnt through making the piece. (A still from 'Last Breath' pictured above)
A Screening & Artist Discussion with Marie Brett - Last Breath takes place on Thursday 1 November 2018 / 6.30 – 8.00pm, Lecture Room, Irish Museum of Modern Art.
More information here: http://ww...
2018-10-2228 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Living With LossThe Irish Hospice Foundation are putting on a free public event - ‘Living with Loss, Observations on grief from the inside out’ where guest speaker will be Niamh Fitzpatrick, who is a psychologist and sister of the late Captain Dara Fitzpatrick.
To learn more about the event and to hear about the many different challenges people face living with a loss, I’m joined on the line by Breffni McGuinness, Training Manager - Bereavement and End of Life Care, Irish Hospice Foundation (pictured).
You can find out more about the Living with Loss event on hospicefoundation.ie or bereaved.ie. It tak...
2018-10-1627 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Latin America & Day Of The DeadHow Day of the Dead is so important in Latin America. Sian Cowman from Latin America Solidarity Centre comes on the programme to share her experiences in Bolivia and to talk about the upcoming Day of the Dead event taking place in Dublin.
See event details here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2155822684738010/
lasc.ie
2018-10-0828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - what is water cremation?What is water cremation? Hear Sandy Sullivan, Scottish founder of Resomation explain this innovative process and share the story behind his award-winning company.
resomation.com
2018-10-0127 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Joining the funeral revolution with Kate and KateJoining the funeral revolution with guests Kate Tym and Kate Dyer from the Coffin Club UK. They share moving stories about the very personal and unique send offs devised by their members. The charity helps people obtain inexpensive flat pack coffins and provides a welcoming space to decorate their coffin and to talk about death with other members.
After founding the UK's first Coffin Club – inspired by the original New Zealand Coffin Club - Kate and Kate have been amazed at the deep level of frustration with the funeral industry. Typically, members want to know what's behind funeral director costs, ho...
2018-09-0328 min
aftering podcastsAftering - how the internet is changing deathIn this episode, Dr Elaine Kasket shares what she's learnt while researching her book, 'All the ghosts in the machine: Illusions of mortality in the digital age'. We discuss how the internet is becoming a vast online graveyard filled with the digital reflections of the dead. What does this mean for online legacy? Do the dead have a right to privacy? And what does this mean for the corporations that own much of the content posted by the dead?
More information about Dr Elaine Kasket and her book:
https://www.elainekasket.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ghostmachine2019/
2018-08-2728 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Keening WorkshopsReimagining keening for the 21st century – Marian Caulfield is the woman behind Ireland's first keening workshops. She's guest on this episode of the aftering podcast. Marian describes how she became fascinated with the ancient Irish keening tradition, why she set up her first workshop April 2018 and the fascinating links between keening and positive mental health.
https://www.facebook.com/keeningworkshop/
2018-08-2027 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Coffin In A Box And Citizens InformationFirst guest, Cor Geijtenbeek is founder and creator of CoffinInABox.com. This innovative company sells DIY eco-friendly flat-pack coffins. Each coffin can be ordered online and delivered straight to your door. Cor explains how the coffins are made and where the idea came from for this unique service.
chistann.com
coffininabox.com
Michael Owens from Citizens Information is the second guest. He guides us through the different State services available after a bereavement. Michael explains how Citizens Information can also help you to access assistance dealing with government departments, banks and utility companies.
citizensinformation.ie
2018-08-1327 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Save My Ink ForeverGuest Kyle Sherwood is co-owner of Save My Ink Forever. His company - based in the US - offers a most unusual legacy service where tattoos can preserved after death. The process then allows skin art to be framed as a unique keepsake for loved ones. In this episode he explains where the idea came from and how it all works.
SaveMyInk.Tattoo
2018-08-1315 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Orlaith Carmody & 'Without You – Living With Loss'Sharing the universal experience of grief through personal letters to lost loved ones is the basis of a book in aid of Our Lady's Hospice. Its editor, Orlaith Carmody came up with the idea as a way of giving back after the incredible end-of-life care given to her late husband Kieran. She was tragically left a widow at the age of 28.
In this episode, Orlaith explains how she contacted writers, broadcasters and politicians to ask them to write a personal letter to someone they had lost. The book includes moving letters from Deirdre Purcell, Gloria Hunniford, Mary O'Rourke, Ivan Yates...
2018-05-2828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Ireland's newest crematoriumIn this programme, learning about the art of the eulogy from an inner city Dublin funeral director and hearing about Ireland's newest crematorium. Dara O’Callaghan is general manager of Shannon Crematorium and shares the background story of how and why it was built.
https://shannoncrematorium.com
2018-05-2825 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Spike Island and Little Nellie Of Holy GodLittle Nellie of Holy God is considered Cork's unofficial patron saint. In this episode, John Flynn, local historian and guide for Spike Island, shares her fascinating story. I went to visit the island in Cork Harbour to learn more about its history, both as a brutal Victorian prison and mass grave site that was also a home to Little Nellie. Why is this small girl – who died in 1908 – now on the road to Catholic sainthood?
SpikeIslandCork.ie
2018-05-1428 min
aftering podcastsAftering Dr Laura KingHow families remember their dead. Dr Laura King shares the background to this moving exhibition in Abbey House Museum, Leeds. Learn the stories behind pieces of Victorian hair jewellery to a single pair of unworn child's boots to one precious bottle of Old Spice cologne.
https://livingwithdying.leeds.ac.uk/2018/02/19/remembrance-unique-objects/
2018-05-0128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - understandings of death in contemporary IrelandDr Kevin Myers speaks about his fascinating research into changing attitudes to death in contemporary Ireland. How the role of the Catholic Church has evolved as Ireland shifts to a more secular society. We also discuss how technology is influencing bereavement. The rise of 'cyber solace' and how grief is policed online. He also points out the long tradition in Ireland of using humour as a way of coping with death and dying.
2018-04-2428 min
aftering podcastsAftering - meet the historic funeral directors for medical donor bodiesThis episode explores the history of Corrigan and Sons Funerals. It's been on Dublin's Camden Street since 1884. I spoke to Gary Perry about the company's long history, how they've been serving Ireland's Jewish community for decades and why Corrigan and Sons came to be the funeral directors for medical school donor bodies. He gave me a tour of the venerable building which included the coffin showroom. Gary explained how families are now looking for more eco-friendly choices. As more and more opt for cremation, the company also stock a variety of urns and ash scatter tubes.
corriganfunerals.ie
facebook.com...
2018-04-1628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Sikh funeral traditionsThis episode explores Sikh traditions around death, dying and funerals. I visited Ireland's only Sikh Temple, Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar in Dublin where Satwinder Singh (pictured) shared the history and practices of this particularly egalitarian religion.
www.gurunanakdarbar.ie
facebook.com/GGNDDublin
2018-04-0928 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Funeral Consumers AllianceGuest Josh Slocum is Executive Director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance. This is a not-for-profit organisation in the United States dedicated to protecting consumers rights to a fair, dignified and affordable funeral.
When it comes to funerals - both Ireland and the US share many of the same issues. Funeral poverty is a growing problem in Ireland as the cost of a funeral can come in much higher than a family anticipated. With the result that families can end up paying off a funeral debt for years to come.
Josh shares his insights into how the American funeral industry works...
2018-03-0528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Caroline Lloyd - Part Two Grief DemystifiedThis is part two of an interview with Caroline Lloyd. She has written a fascinating new research-based book, ‘Grief Demystified’. On this programme, she’ll be delving deeper into the changes grief makes to the brain, the body and how some people can be literally heartbroken.
'Grief Demystified’ is available now on Easons.com, Omahonys.ie and also on Amazon.com. You can also visit her at TheGriefGeek.com and on Facebook and Twitter as @TheGriefGeek
2018-02-2628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Grief DemystifiedWhat is 'normal grief'? Caroline Lloyd has written a remarkable research-based book on grief for people who support the bereaved and also for the bereaved themselves. She explains the fascinating history of grief theory, the effects internet can have on bereaved and the terrible toll when a loss isn't acknowledged by society.
https://thegriefgeek.com/
https://www.easons.com/grief-demystified-caroline-lloyd-9781785923135
https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Demystified-Introduction-Caroline-Lloyd/dp/1785923137
2018-02-1928 min
aftering podcastsAftering - dying art of hand-carved Irish gravestonesA visit to a traditional family-run monument maker reveals huge changes in how gravestones are produced. Shanganagh Marble and Stone Centre are one of the few businesses left still practising the craft of hand-carving. Fran and Colin O'Neill(pictured) share how they can cope with requests for 'teddy-bear' monuments to producing gravestones in Chinese for a new multi-cultural Ireland. Colin is a third-generation stonemason.
www.oneillsofshanganagh.ie
2018-02-1228 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Life & death in Dublin's tenementsLearning about life & death in Dublin's shocking tenements. Guest Terry Fagan tells the story of his incredible Inner City Folklore Project.
He also generously shares – from his archive – a first-hand recorded account describing how death came to so many young tenement children.
Terry is pictured here holding a donated 'death set' kit which is over a century old. In tenement life, this kit was used by special women who would keep it safe and bring it along to wash and prepare the dead of the community.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Inner-City-Folklore-Project-Railway-Street-Dublin/168000017283591
2018-01-2928 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Tot ZoverTalking to the director of Tot Zover, a very special Dutch museum that focuses on funerary culture over the centuries. Guus Sluiter explains how and why it came into being. He shares why a funerary bouquet delicately and beautifully woven from the hair of both the dead and the living is his favourite object in its collection. www.totzover.nl
Also on the programme, sharing the hidden history behind Ireland's illustrated Catholic memorial cards and how they came to be so important throughout 20th century Ireland. Academic Mary Anne Bolger shares her extraordinary research into these precious objects.
2018-01-2227 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Should a cemetery have rights to build over old 'poor graves'?Discussing historic Dublin Glasnevin Cemetery's planning row. The cemetery wants to build a new crematorium chapel on some existing 'poor graves'. Mary Fitzpatrick, local resident, former Dublin City Councillor and Fianna Fáil candidate for General Election in Dublin Central explains what's been happening with the plan and why she's been strongly opposing it. Also, the Buddhist experience and philosophy of death is explored with help from the Dublin Buddhist Centre.
2018-01-1725 min
aftering podcastsAftering - grief & loss and the marginalisedGuest Jennifer Moran Stritch is Lecturer and Research Group Director with Limerick Institute of Technology and teaches on the masters in bereavement studies with the Royal College of Surgeons and The Irish Hospice Foundation. She leads some very interesting research on grief and loss in marginalised groups. She also is part of the Death Cafe movement and has done a lot of work on death education and Thanatology in Ireland.
2018-01-1725 min
aftering podcastsAftering - what do you say to a grieving child?What do you say to a grieving child, especially at Christmastime? Brid Carroll (pictured), chairperson of the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network shares practical help and advice for bereaved families coping with loss. Using simple and clear language to explain death to a child is so important.
For more information, there are lots of helpful resources on The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network website:
childhoodbereavement.ie
2017-12-0426 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Donal Moloney Photography And DeathPhotographer Donal Moloney creates haunting images of abandoned places. These crumbling buildings where people lived, and sometimes died, are filled with stark echoes of the people who inhabited them. He's found that the process has had the unexpected effect of making him face his own mortality. Donal became fascinated with 'Urbex' and 'Rurex' (the process of exploring urban and rural abandoned buildings)as a personal project. He initially featured nude models in these art photographs but has since created different iterations of the project by taking pictures of the spaces alone or by placing a single white chair placed in...
2017-11-2728 min
aftering podcastsAftering – pet cremation service helping families hold wakes for beloved animalsJohn Wilde (pictured) set up a pet cremation service with a big difference. At his base in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, he's set up a special room for families to say their final goodbye to a departed but beloved animal companion before they are cremated. Many families are now opting to hold wakes here with their pet with candles, music and flower petals. John shares the personal story of why he set up his business and how it's about giving a very personal and non-judgmental service to his clients.
www.Earth2Heaven.ie
https://www.facebook.com/john.wilde2016/
2017-11-2028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - My Last SoundtrackWhat's your funeral song? Guest Sue Kemple is CEO of My Last Soundtrack. It's an American startup helping people create a lasting memorial online that can begin with a favourite music playlist. She shares her personal story of how she came to be one of company's founders and how the origin of My Last Soundtrack came out from the choice of music at funeral.
www.mylastsoundtrack.com
www.suekemple.com
2017-11-1428 min
aftering podcastsAftering – The incredible Coffin Club'Makers of Fine, Affordable Underground Furniture'. Katie Williams is the inspirational and delightful founder of the amazing Kiwi Coffin Club. There are now clubs opening across New Zealand and Australia with the purpose of bringing together seniors to have a bit of craic together but also to provide a space to design, make and decorate their own coffins. The original club in Rotarua, NZ also makes some very special tiny coffins for the babies that don't survive being born.
www.coffinclubs.co.nz
loadingdocs.net/thecoffinclub/
http://janetkeen.blogspot.ie/
2017-11-0628 min
aftering podcastsAftering – Irish Hospice Foundation's Forum 2017I got the opportunity to attend the fantastic Irish Hospice Foundation forum on End of life conference 2017 where there were excellent, thought-provoking speakers. On today’s programme, you’ll get to hear from three of them, Professor Jenny Kitzinger, Senator Mary Louise O’Donnell and Dr Stephen Higgins.
Professor Jenny Kitzinger explained the many challenges around how end of life decisions are made when the patient has lost the ability to make choices for themselves. Dr Kitzinger is Professor of Communications Research at Cardiff University, the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. After her sister Polly sustained horrific brain injury...
2017-10-2328 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Grief In The WorkplaceHow to make your workplace safe for grief. Breffni McGuinness explains why you should never be afraid to reach out to someone who has been bereaved. He gives practical tips for employers and colleagues to help someone return to work after coping with loss.
Image: Paul Sherwood
HospiceFoundation.ie
2017-08-2628 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Forum On End Of LifeWhat do the people of Ireland think about death? Angela Edghill (pictured), Advocacy & Public Engagement Manager from the Irish Hospice Foundation shares the results from a unique nationwide survey and previews the Irish Hospice Foundation's Forum on End of Life in Ireland Conference 2017.
Image: Paul Sherwood
HospiceFoundation.ie
ThinkAhead.ie
2017-08-2628 min
aftering podcastsAftering – Mt Jerome Crematorium And CemeteryEverything you wanted to know about cremation but were afraid to ask. Guest Alan Massey, manager of Dublin's historic Mount Jerome Cemetery and Crematorium shares what really happens at a cremation and answers the questions he gets asked most.
www.mountjerome.ie
2017-08-1128 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Bereaved by homicideAdVic is a charity that tries to help families through the maze of the courts, police and multiple government agencies that become involved when someone dies by homicide. it’s impossible to imagine the pain of losing a loved one to homicide but for those bereaved they have the added trauma of trying to negotiate a complex legal system and deal with the complex practicalities of coping with such a devastating loss.
Sharon Mitchell became involved with AdVIC following the loss of her son. She shares her story and explains what faces families in this horrific situation.
www.AdVic.ie
ww...
2017-08-0126 min
aftering podcastsAftering - How doctors talk to the dyingHow do you tell someone they are dying? An innovative new study shows how communication between end-of-life patients and their physicians depends on body language as much as words. Ruth Parry and Dr Marco Pino (pictured)video recorded the interactions and were interested to find the nuanced methods used by doctors in a hospice setting to help the patients understand their prognosis.
Further information:
https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/ncare/projects/video-research.aspx
http://www.ruthparry.org.uk/
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0156174&type=printable
2017-07-2528 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Death in an acute hospitalWhat is it like to die in an acute hospital? Mary Duffy is clinical nurse manager in the busy Dublin city Mater Hospital. She shares her moving experiences of what happens when a death occurs on a ward. Mary is passionate about ensuring patients and their families are given space to grieve and make their peace during the end-of-life process.
2017-07-1828 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Behind the scenes at a hospice-friendly hospitalThis programme goes behind the scenes in one of Ireland's busiest and biggest acute hospitals, Dublin's Mater Misericordiae University Hospital to find out about the 'hospice-friendly hospitals' initiative and the changes happening to help patients and their families at the end-of-life. In the image, Diarmuid Ó Coimín, the End-of-Life Care Coordinator, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is standing with Mary Duffy, clinical nurse manager. They are holding one of the special blankets used to carefully drape the deceased which shows the spiral symbol designed to indicate end-of-life within the hospital.
2017-07-1027 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Memorial Spaceflights + Rachel Mathews-McKayThe final, final frontier. It's now possible to have cremated ashes launched into space. Fergus Jamieson, MD of HeavensAboveFIreworks.com in partnership with Celestis facilitates space burials for people across the UK and Ireland. In the second half of the programme (14.55)LGBT activist Rachel Mathews-McKay shares her personal journey in training to be a civil funeral celebrant and why it matters so much to get it right.
celebrantservices.ie
2017-07-0326 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Kicking The BucketKatie Verling and Sinead Dinneen met and bonded through their life-threatening cancers. Katie shares the story of how they became friends and decided to set up Kicking the Bucket(KTB)as a way to process their experiences through art and humour. It's a thought-provoking participatory project dealing with the big themes of grief, illness, dying and death.
Useful links:
Kicking the Bucket radio documentary by Katie Verling
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/2016/1119/832639-kicking-the-bucket/
Sinead Dinneen:
sineaddinneenvisualartist.tumblr.com
Kicking the Bucket events:
https://www.facebook.com/Kicking-the-Bucket-1761680887388740/
2017-06-3028 min
aftering podcastsAftering - Death Cafe DublinCaroline Lloyd is an author and bereavement counsellor who has been running a series of popular Death Cafés around Dublin. On this programme, she explains the concept of a Death Café, why the medicalisation of grief can be counterproductive and how the process of bereavement is shaped by your personality.
@TheGriefGeek
facebook.com/DeathCafeDublin
2017-06-2928 min
aftering podcastsAftering Life Lessons: Dara Hogan on how early education changes livesDara Hogan, an award-winning and inspiring social entrepreneur, paragliding enthusiast and harmonica player shares his story. He has helped to build businesses providing education to a deeply marginalised community which in turn is helping families to lift themselves out of the poverty trap.
ancosan.com
2015-03-3127 min