FirstLight

A record-breaking night. But for us, it’s what happens next that matters most. 💛

The Lord Mayor of Dublin’s Charity Ball 2026 raised an incredible €170,480.58 — the highest amount ever achieved in the history of the event.

For FirstLight, this means €67,000 — funding over 1,200 hours of counselling for bereaved parents and families across Ireland.
Behind every one of those hours is a family navigating the heartbreak of losing a child. Support like this ensures they don’t have to face that journey alone.

We are deeply grateful to EHL Experiences, and to Larry and Nora Murrin, for nominating FirstLight as their charity partner.
And a heartfelt thank you to the Lord Mayor, Councillor Ray McAdam, and his team — especially Fanchea — for their incredible support.

This is what compassion looks like when a city comes together.
💛 If you’d like to learn more or support our work: [insert link]

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐚 — 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 59 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 — 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

Their decision to share their experience so openly brings light to a reality many families face, but few feel able to speak about.

👉 You can read the full article here: https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/healthandwellbeing/arid-41852898.html

“𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.”

At FirstLight, we know there is no right way to grieve the death of a child. What matters is compassion, understanding, and support when it is needed most.

We are grateful to Daniela and Daniel for sharing Alma’s story, and to the Irish Examiner for helping raise awareness.

If this post speaks to you, please know support is available.
👉 Visit firstlight.ie to learn more or reach out.
You are not alone.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

Today, we recorded the second episode of our Many Voices of FirstLight podcast with Dr. Lewis King.

These conversations are never just recordings. They are moments where something deeply personal is shared — with care, honesty, and quiet courage.

Every voice matters. And sometimes, hearing someone else’s story can be the first step in feeling understood, or a little less alone.
Over the coming months, we’ll continue to record more episodes, building a collection of voices that reflect the reality and strength within this community. The full series will be released this September.

A heartfelt thank you to Carmichael Ireland for hosting us, and to our podcast producer, Paul Moloney whose care and expertise are helping bring these conversations to life.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 — 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆.
📩 [email protected]

“𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟏 — 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈 𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐡𝐢 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧.” 💙

On May 31st, Caroline Feehily will run in memory of her son Gene and in support of FirstLight at the Vhi Women's Mini Marathon

After Gene’s heartbreaking loss last July, FirstLight supported Caroline and her family through an incredibly difficult time. Now, Caroline is giving back so that other bereaved families can receive that same care and support.

🙏 We are so grateful to Caroline for her courage, love, and generosity.

👉 Please donate if you can, or share this post to help support her fundraiser. https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/carolinefeehily

Every step. Every euro. Every share matters.

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

We are deeply honoured and grateful to have been nominated as the beneficiary of this very special fundraiser in memory of Ava Battye.

In August 2023, Ava tragically passed away. Described by her family as a generous young girl who always preferred to give more than she received, her memory continues to inspire acts of kindness and compassion.

On 27 June, in Ava’s honour, Christina will take on a tandem skydive with the Irish Parachute Club to raise funds for FirstLight. This is a powerful and personal tribute, and we are truly thankful for the courage and commitment behind it.

Importantly, Christina is covering the full cost of the skydive herself, meaning that every euro raised will go directly towards supporting families across Ireland who are coping with the sudden loss of a child.

At FirstLight, we see every day how vital this support is, and we are profoundly grateful to Christina and Ava’s family for choosing to support our work in such a meaningful way.

If you are in a position to do so, we would warmly encourage you to support this fundraiser—whether through a donation or by sharing the story with others.

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/christinabattye

Your support will help ensure that bereaved families receive the care, understanding, and connection they need during their darkest times.

From all of us at FirstLight—thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support.

Please take a moment to read this powerful and deeply personal story.

Today, we are honoured to be featured in the Irish Independent, sharing a deeply personal story of love, loss and resilience.

Amie Doyle’s courageous account of losing her daughter Áine is both heartbreaking and powerful. By sharing her story so openly, she is helping others feel less alone — and bringing understanding to the reality of grief after the loss of a baby.

At FirstLight, we know that behind every family is a story like this.
As part of our 50th anniversary, we remain committed to ensuring that families have access to compassionate, professional support when they need it most.

👉 You can read the full article here: https://firstlight.ie/losing-a-baby-it-altered-my-life-and-i-will-never-be-the-same-again/

We are so deeply grateful to Amie Doyle for sharing her story so courageously in the Irish Independent

If you or someone you know needs support, please reach out.
You are not alone. We are here.

𝟓𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐧 — 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧?

On Saturday, an Op-Ed by FirstLight’s General Manager, Andrew Mernagh, was published in the Irish Sun. It reflects on a question first asked in Ireland half a century ago — and one that still matters today.

This year marks 50 years of FirstLight, founded from one mother’s determination that no family should face the death of a child alone. That call remains as urgent now as it was then.

In this piece, Andrew speaks to the reality behind bereavement — the trauma, the silence, and the need for a more compassionate and informed response. It is both a reflection and a challenge to all of us: to recognise grief, to acknowledge it, and to support families not just in loss, but in what comes after.

👉 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞: https://firstlight.ie/after-baby-brendans-death-ireland-was-asked-to-listen-are-we-finally-ready-to-hear/

As we mark 50 years, our leadership commitment is clear: to challenge silence, strengthen support, and ensure that no bereaved family in Ireland is left to face this alone.

€60 can change a grieving parent’s life — but only if that support is there when they need it.

This May and June, something truly powerful is taking place.
Our Chairperson, Oliver Blackwell, is taking on one of the world’s most demanding climbs — Denali (Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America.

He is doing this in memory of his son David, who died unexpectedly at just 14 months old.

This is Oliver’s fourth fundraising climb, building on a journey that has already raised over €40,000 to support bereaved families.
Behind this climb is a deeply human purpose.

We are aiming to raise €15,000 — enough to provide 250+ hours of free professional counselling to bereaved parents and families across Ireland.

👉 €60 = 1 hour of support for a grieving family
👉 Donate here: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/FirstLightDenali

At FirstLight, we see every day how vital this support is.
Grief after the loss of a child can be overwhelming, isolating, and life-altering.

But no family should have to face it alone.
This climb represents strength, remembrance, and hope — and we cannot do it without your help.
👉 If you can, please consider donating today
👉 Please share this to help us reach families and supporters who may want to help

Thank you for taking a moment to read and support.

We’re very thankful to Dublin Live for taking the time to share a piece about FirstLight and the support we provide to parents after the loss of a child.

For so many mums and dads, reaching out for help is one of the hardest steps — and knowing that calm, compassionate support is there when it’s needed can make such a difference in the early days of grief.
This article helps spread awareness that parents don’t have to face this journey alone, and we’re grateful to Dublin Live for helping to share that message with care and understanding.

💛 You can read the full article here:

'No waiting list' for counselling service for those grieving the loss of a child In 2025 alone, FirstLight received 293 referrals, representing a 26% increase on the previous year, and they are meeting the demands on their services and getting people into counselling in mere weeks