People's Stories
Northwest Hospice
My name is Adrian Tansey, I’m from Garching, County Sligo. My mother was Phyllis Tansey, and my father is Sean Tansey. There were five of us in the family…..
Rosie's Trust
My name is Karen Kelly and I am the Macmillan Health & Wellbeing Coordinator in the South-Eastern Trust. My job is to provide information and support…..
Milford Care Centre Bereavement Support
My name is Marie. I was married to Declan for over 40 years. In December 2021 he was diagnosed with stage four oesophagus cancer…..
Marian Meehan
I’m Marian Meehan. I’m 69 years of age now. I’m here in St Francis. I have a tumor on the lung and I have five lymph nodes on the back of the chest bone…..
Hilary Neville
My name is Hilary Neville, and I’m an Irish Cancer Society night nurse. I’ve been working with the Irish Cancer Society for the last 26 years in this capacity…..
Jack Davies
Jack was born in the East End of London, and proud to be a Londoner. Um, moved back to Galway in 2006, and he went to school here in St. Mary’s…..
Alan Bradley
My name is Alan Bradley. I was born in a place called O’ Devaney gardens in Dublin. I got married over forty years. I have a beautiful wife. I have two lovely sons…..
Carmel Wilmot
My name is Carmel and I live in Monivea, Galway. I’m not from there, but I moved here about five years ago and about two years in, my mom had just passed away…..
Hayden McLafferty
My name is Hayden, I’m 17 and I live in Clondalkin. When I was a baby I cant remember that much but I had numerous surgeries to see whats goin on with my heart…..
Aisling Keavey
My name is Aisling and I’m 47, I’m a mother of one and this is my husband Peter. In 2019 I went into hospital with back pain and was diagnosed…..
Anna Lambert
Hi my name is Anna Lambert, Im a nurse, I work in Knockeen Nursing Home in Barntown in County Wexford. Knockeen Nursing Home was opened just over 20 years ago…..
Tony Lawlor
Well I’m Tony Lawlor from Killarney. Well I’m a Chief retired, I love sport, football, hurling, rugby, swimming, walking you name it boxing. I’m married to Agnes 45 years…..
Emir Murphy
My name is Emir Murphy and I am a clinical specialist, speech and language therapist. And I work in the Kerry Specialist Palliative Care Service. We have an in-patient unit…..
Milford Care Centre Team
My name is Ester, Esther O’Brien, Im a clinical nurse specialist and I’m a member of the specialist palliative care community service here in Milford Care Centre in Castletroy…..
Milford Music Therapy
My name is Karen Kelly I am one of the Senior Music Therapist here in Milford Care Centre. Music Therapy is beneficial for somebody who is going through palliative care…..
Dr Matt Dore
My name is Dr Mathew Dore, I am one of the palliative care consultants and I work here at the Northern Ireland Hospice. Northern Ireland Hospice is one of the Hospices…..
Barry Hession
I started my career in technology and that was at a time when no one knew anything about technology. So I was kind of at the forefront, if I can be so bold…..
Joe McCann
Well I worked as a caretaker up in the school in Raheny for 19 Years, I was 19 years up there and before that I was an upholsterer, so I worked at upholstery…..
Don McLennan
My name is Donald McLennan, born in Omagh, now living in Derry. My wife and I are married 63 years. We have one boy and two girls, five grandchildren…..
Brendan O’ Byrne
My name is Brendan O’Byrne. I have been the resident pianist at Ashford Castle for 39 years, until very recently. Even though I’ve retired formally from Ashford….
Maebh O’ Herlihy
Hi, I’m Maeve O’ Herlihy. I am here on Achill Island, a wonderful place to be. I was born in Dublin and went to school there. When my children were very small we moved to Brussels…..
Aine O'Riordan's Story
My mother Mona was very very well really all her life until she was into her eighties and then she started having a lot of episodes of losing consciousness….
Anne Harris's Story - Her Sister
My sister was a young woman. She was in her early 50’s; I consider that young. And she was diagnosed in, she had complained of back pain for a long number of years…..
John Joyce
My name is John Joyce, I’m from County Mayo. Approximately eight years ago I was diagnosed with a tumour in the head. Brought into hospital had two operations…..
Louise Smith
My name is Louise Smith. I’m 68 years of age and I worked full time up to two years ago. I was diagnosed 12 years ago with COPD. I just thought it was asthma….
Tim Kelly
My name is Tim Kelly and I first met my late wife Kathleen Kelly in Dublin in 1960 or thereabouts. I was in the Guards. She was one of the first 12 bean gardai….
Alison Craig – Belfast
I’m Alison Craig, I’m an Occupational Therapist in the Macmillan Unit in Antrim. I suppose people come into the unit for all sorts of reasons so they can….
Dr Anna Cleminson
So I’m Anna Cleminson, I’m a consultant in palliative care medicine and I work here in Sligo, North West Hospice. We are based right next to the hospital….
Mike Ross
I’m Mike Ross, I live in Omagh, Co Tyrone. I immigrated to Canada some 40 years ago. I lived a good life in Canada, my kids have grown up there….
Anthony & Rosemary O’Mullan's Story
I met Tony in 1979 and I was married in 1981. Well I must say we have had a good family life. We were married six years before we had any kids….
Billy Reilly’s Story
My favourite activity would be the art, definitely, 100%. You can spend two hours in there and you think you are only there 10 minutes. Definitely the art, I find it very good….
Caitríona Hastings' Story
I’m Caitríona Hastings, I’m living here in Killiney now. My own job – I was a lecturer in Irish studies and heritage studies. My husband was ordained to the Church of Ireland 25 years ago…..
Lynne Armstrong’s Story
My name is Lynne Armstrong and I have lived with Multiple Sclerosis every single minute of every day of my life. It is a chronic, debilitating disease…..
Kate Cameron's Story
Hi. My name is Kate, Kate Cameron and I’m originally from Scotland but I’ve been living in Ireland since 1997. Well I have two daughters so I’ve been looking after them…..
Margaret McKenna's Story
My partner Una died just over four years ago. And she died within 19 days of them first mentioning cancer, so it was quite sudden. She also had Alzheimer’s….
Margaret O’Meara's Story
Basil became very ill at the end of 2012 with heart condition and lungs. He died two years later. An acute hospital was the wrong place for Basil to die…..
Margaret and Eddie Bell's Story
Eddie got very, very sick. He was brought in to Foyle Hospice, he was in for about five weeks, so, that was over four years ago. Eddie was diagnosed with a cancer…..
Margarita Synnott's Story
When we had talked about his death, the one thing he was sure of was that he wanted to die at home. I brought him home on the 5th of May 2016…..
Paul FitzPatrick's Story
I’m Paul FitzPatrick and I’m 61 years old. And at the end of January 2018 I was diagnosed with two life-changing conditions. The lung disease that I have is called IPF…..
Pat & Angela Smyth's Story
I’m Pat Smyth, I live in Belfast, I’ve lived here all my life and I’m married to Angela and I used to work as a staff nurse in theatres in the Royal Hospital….
Michael McBrien's Story
I am a qualified nurse myself which makes no difference because, at the end of the day, you’re a carer. Teresa was first diagnosed with a tumour in roughly about 1997….
Yvonne Jacobson's Story
Mary was initially diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia in November 2012. It came right out of the blue. She took the diagnosis fantastically…..
Tom Curran's Story
My own view on palliative care is that it’s not just about someone who is coming near the end of their life. I think palliative care should be available…..
Terence McDermott’s Story
The hospice to me is a life saver because I’ll tell you, if I hadn’t gone in when I did, I don’t think I would be here now, I was that bad but I wouldn’t give in…..
Evelyn Wakefield's Story
I found a lump in May 2014 and they did the standard scans to check the rest of my body and unfortunately within two weeks I was diagnosed with secondary cancer….
Dori Anne Finlay's Story
Belinda my daughter, my youngest daughter, was diagnosed with terminal cancer whenever she was 24. She worked as long as she could…..
Donal and Helen Bell’s story
Donal was quite ill. He got a very bad chest infection, pneumonia, I suppose. He was very, very ill and he had to go into the regional hospital….
Colette Grealish Keane's Story
I am Colette Grealish Keane and I’m from Mervue and I lived a good few years in Tuam so I’m back in Galway now again. What I done for a living was home help….
Donal, Billy, Kevin and Denis – their stories
I think when people hear the words palliative care they automatically associate it with the end of life, and actually what palliative care….
Carmel Ryan's Story
Well my name is Carmel and my husband Eamon died Christmas of 2015. He had had an underlying blood disorder and it eventually changed….
Gerard and Joanna O’Hare’s story
My name is Gerard O’Hare, I’m 52 years of age and I suffer from Motor Neurone Disease. It was a hard time adjusting. It took a wee while for me to get my head around it….
Caroline Shore's Story
My dad was diagnosed with cancer when he was 54 and he passed away when he was 57. It was nine o’clock at night and the consultant and the nurse came into the room….
Karen Lavery
My name is Karen Lavery, and I live in the North in Co. Armagh in a place called Aghalee. My uncle Seán was a seaman for many years, and he left home when he was 16…..
Marian Mawhinney
Hi, my name is Marian Mawhinney, I’m from West Belfast. I grew up on the Falls Road with my brothers and sisters. My Mum was the best person absolutely ever….
Anne Harris's Story - Her Mother
My name is Anne Harris and I’m a nurse. I have worked for the health service for the last 40 years. My mum who passed away sadly last, 1st February last year….
