Plea to Mayo public: Let's make this happen
Sunflower Hospice will give Mayo families the respite they deserve
by Dr. Richard Martin
The Sunflower Hospice launch was held in the TF Royal Hotel, Castlebar.
The Sunflower Hospice will be a dedicated children’s hospice in Mayo, which will serve eight counties along the western seaboard.
Already €6.5 million has been raised and the aim is to raise €7 million over the next year so that construction can proceed in 2026.
The projected cost of the build is between €12 and €14 million. Once construction begins, it is hoped that the project will be completed in two years.
It will be the only children’s hospice in the country outside of Dublin. Currently, LauraLynn in Leopardstown in Dublin is Ireland's only dedicated children’s hospice. At maximum capacity it has eight beds.
Given that there are 3,800 children in Ireland today with a life-limiting disease, another children’s hospice is badly needed to serve demand.
By building a new hospice in the west of Ireland we are serving demand on the western seaboard and simultaneously taking pressure off the Dublin based facility.
Investing in public services is never a waste.
I was looking forward to the event with anticipation. Martina Jennings had invited me well in advance and the occasion didn’t disappoint.
I had a hunch that Joe Brolly would be there as his wife Laurita Blewitt was the compere for the launch.
A few weeks previously my parents had watched a rerun interview Joe Brolly gave to Virgin Media in 2022. My mother spent a few days jibber jabbering away about how great he was. I knew she’d love to meet him in person.
As a columnist with this newspaper, I was allowed into the media room where the politicians and media people mingled before the launch in the main auditorium.
I invoked the spirit of Blackie and brought my mother into the press room. Why not. Tommy Tiernan was floating around like an aged rock star Tibetan shaman priest. And sure enough who was there only Joe Brolly.
I approached him and asked him to speak with my mother. He was extremely gracious and said of course. They had a great chat. Mostly about Knockmore. Her father, my grandfather – Pat Kelly - was from Cloghans.
Unfortunately, he died of miliary TB in 1975. He’s buried there in the cemetery alongside his wife Greta – my grandmother. Generations of Kellys lived in that village. I know it meant a lot to her.
She didn’t get to meet the Pope, but she got to meet Brolly. I called to Pavilion Road later that evening. She was laughing away to herself cooking in the kitchen.
The main launch was held downstairs in the main concert hall. There was a huge crowd present. Supporters and volunteers of the hospice. Laurita Blewitt was the compere. In spite of family illness, she didn’t shirk her duty and turned up to host the event.
A series of speeches were made.
I stood at the side of the hall against a pillar and took it all in. It was a great Mayo day. The mood in the arena was celebratory and joyous. Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill spoke.
Her mother is from Bohola. Her obvious enthusiasm for the project was only all too clear. She told us her aunt Teresa will be collecting outside Dunnes Stores in Castlebar next Saturday.
Minister Dara Calleary spoke also. A senior minister now. Mayo’s leading representative in the Oireachtas and our leader in the Dáil chamber.
“The work of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice is simply incredible. There is virtually no family in the west of Ireland who has not been touched by their compassionate care in their greatest hours of need,” he said.
“The Sunflower Children’s Hospice is a one-of-a-kind, vital extension of this mission. The ambition, the drive to offer first-class facilities and care, coupled with an extraordinary ability to raise funds, is what Martina and the team have become synonymous with. I look forward to working closely with the minister, the HSE, elected representatives, and the entire Hospice team over the coming years to deliver this project for the west of Ireland.”
Having senior cabinet ministers on board is vital for this project. That box is ticked.
None of this could have happened only for the drive, focus, and determination of Martina Jennings. She is an extraordinary woman. Laurita Blewitt described her in her introduction as a force of nature. The Mayo Roscommon Hospice has an army of willing and generous volunteers, but it needs a leader to steer the ship.
It takes a person with drive, ambition and vision to make this dream a reality and she will. The existing hospice in Castlebar is a wonderful world class facility. We keep producing extraordinary people like that in Mayo. Others like John Prenty and Monsignor James Horan spring to mind.
The most compelling part of the day was the video. In the midst of Martina Jennings’ speech a video was played. Chuck Dunford, a native of Marian Row, Castlebar, and now a resident of Killala, and his wife Mairead spoke of their son Kevin who died aged 9 in 2014 and the challenges of his final days in the Dublin hospice. Kevin Dunford’s brother described the Laura Lynn Hospice as the best hotel in Dublin.
I spoke with Martina afterwards. It’s her fervent desire that the Sunflower Hospice is the best hotel in the west where beautiful memories are made.
The auditorium was silent as the video played, and we were all suddenly reminded that joyous that this day is, that a hospice isn’t a place for fairy tales and miracles.
A hospice is the cold interface between life and death, where families are given time and space to spend the last days, hours and minutes with the people they love most.
It’s sad to watch a grandparent or parent pass, but it’s the natural rite of passage. Dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. In time the grief and sorrow passes and with that comes acceptance, understanding and strength.
When a parent loses a child, it’s a tragedy. There’s no other way to describe it.
When the death is preceded by years of illness and suffering there are no words to capture the pain and torment. It’s not fair. But it’s a reality that so many face, and in the face of such pain and regret the only solution is surrender and acceptance. It is as it is.
The love a parent has for a child can never be extinguished. It’s a wonderful thing to love someone. To hold someone in your arms and tell them that nothing or no-one matters more. The people we love never leave our side.
The least we can do is give the child and their attendant families the support they crave, need and deserve.
The Sunflower Hospice will give countless families the respite they need. They won’t have to worry about five-hour commutes to Dublin. Accommodation in Dublin. Financial stress and worry. Everyone can come together in unison and say what needs to be said or say nothing at all.
A special mention should also be paid to Cynthia Clampett and Cathal Hughes. The idea of a hospice germinated in 1992 with Cathal Hughes in Westport. He was present on the day and is a patron of the charity.
The Hughes family have made an immeasurable contribution to life in this county over the decades through employment and charity work.
Cynthia Clampett was the CEO of the Hospice for over 20 years and retired in 2017.
If we have seen further than others it’s because we are standing on the shoulders of giants.
A sum of €7 million needs to be raised over the next year to make the dream a reality.
All donations however small are greatly appreciated. They can be made online at hospice.ie or in person at different events.
Let’s make this happen.