Every Christmas and New Year, Máirie Cregan feels a sadness shared by ​a​n untold number of people around the country. To the founding director of Féileacáin, Ireland's national charity supporting parents affected by stillbirths and baby deaths, it’s a sadness that never goes away. It is one that hits anyone who has suffered the loss of ​someone close to them, including friend​s, sibling​s, partner​s or parent​s. But the Cork mother-of-six, whose daughter Liliana was stillborn on January 8, 2006, has her own way of dealing with loss. “Sometimes, people who did not know us that well but knew of our loss would ask ‘What are their names?'

Source: Irish Examiner December 31, 2025 08:55 UTC