Let’s Talk About Grief – Interview Kevin Toolis, Author
My Father’s Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love & Die
Totally honored to have connected with fellow author Kevin Toolis for this interview to create a Podcast. You can get a glimpse into the author’s life and those key moments that formed this memoir.
Kevin certainly has an ability to be fully comfortable talking about death. It is those moments that began to shape his comfort to be so open about a subject most people shy away from. Kevin writes “Death is a whisper in the Anglo-Saxon world,”
My intent is to turn this whisper into a conversation. Listen now as Kevin begins to share the events, people and places he weaves together in a rhythm that brings this book to life.
Part I
Part II – Personal Death & Grief of Others
In Part II Kevin talks about a personal death, his brother and the effects of cancer and the war and battle language that is often used. Hear about his intrigue as a reporter by Ireland’s troubles and the interviews conducted with affected families. Find out about these “dangerous gifts” and Kevin’s ability to ask questions no one else had.
Part III – The Irish Wake
Is where you will discover those old rites & rituals that have been passed down through the generations. Discover the role of the women in the family to midwife the dying and care for the body after death. Learn about the keening women and their role in assisting grief and how the wake is a way for the community to support the family. When you read about death from My Father’s Wake, you will begin to inoculate yourself as a way of being more comfortable around death as the author suggests.
