Miriam O'Callaghan praises community ahead of charity event honouring late Laois woman

Community and overcoming will be at the heart of the upcoming 'Stories with Miriam O'Callaghan' event in Carlow which will be held in honour of Killeshin woman Sharon Brennan who died in July of last year. 

The Primetime presenter, Miriam O'Callaghan, will host what promises to be an uplifting, chat-show style event at the Dolmen Hotel in Carlow on Wednesday, 21 January to raise vital funds for Pieta. 

'Stories with Miriam O'Callaghan' has been organised by Sharon Brennan's family to honour her memory. Although the event is for Sharon, her husband Paul said it is not just about her, but also the role community can play in supporting people through difficult times. 

Sharon's death last year rocked communities across Laois and Carlow of which she left a lasting impact. Originally from Tullow, County Carlow, Sharon was the daughter of John and Mary Cosgrove, and sister of Jonathan, Keith, Caroline and Fiona.

Sharon eventually made her home in Killeshin and was married to Paul Brennan for 20 years with whom she had two sons, Jack and Evan. 

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The event will take place exactly 6 months and 2 days since Sharon's untimely passing. In that time, Paul, who is chairman of Killeshin GAA, said that him and his family have received an astounding level of support from their local community. 

Speaking to the Leinster Express / Laois Live, Paul said: "The way the community rallied around us, Killeshin GAA and Killeshin LGFA, it’s something to celebrate."

The event features a number of well known guests such as GAA President Jarlath Burns, Portlaoise Garda and Tipperary All-Ireland winning hurling captain, Ronan Maher, as well as the Kerry footballer and All-Ireland winning captain, Gavin White.

Paul said that these GAA icons will not just be speaking about football, rather "they're going to be speaking about the other half of GAA." That other side of GAA is community, which Paul said is so important and this proved to be in the past few months for his family. 

Host of the event, Miriam O'Callaghan agreed wholeheartedly with Paul's comments about community having such a powerful impact in times of need. 

Miriam told the Leinster Express / Laois Live: "There’s something about smaller country places in Ireland where when things go bad, people really chip in to help out. It’s a tribute to Paul and obviously his beautiful late wife that so many people are willing to do this for him."

The RTÉ star said she met Paul a few years back at a charity event she was hosting and that Paul had organised for a man who had passed away from motor neuron disease. When he approached Miriam at the end of last year about this event, she was eager to help: "I was so upset to hear what had happened and I said of course I would help in anyway I could."

Miriam added: "I’ve been involved with Pieta before and have done a lot of stories on suicide and it’s just so sad so I just wanted to help out really."

The event's host applauded the work Paul has done to put the event together, saying "he has an amazing line-up!"

As well as sports stars, there will also be deeply moving personal stories from Fiona Grace and Kim Nolan, supported by Stephanie Manahan of Pieta. Both Fiona and Kim have both experienced loss through suicide. Fiona was Sharon's sister and Kim lost her husband to suicide.

Paul said that they will both speak about their own experiences and "the light at the end of the tunnel."

The Killeshin GAA chairman also revealed that the final panel will end on an uplifting note.

He said: "Our final panel is resilience, you’ve been down but you can get back up. Obviously, we want to lift the tone on the night and have a bit of fun so we have Al Porter and Rory's Stories. We want to end up on a high there."

Comedians Al Porter and Rory’s Stories will join the panel on the night, both of whom have had their own difficulties to face in recent years. To top things off, there will also be music on the night from Ali O'Neill as well as Robert, Bob, and Lincoln Grace. 

For Paul, the programme of events will bring guests along on a journey: "There’s a story to the whole thing and everything that is taking place. The community aspect of it, the devastation of suicide, and the final panel which shows we will bounce back."

Everyone is invited to take part in this very special night which promises a powerful and uplifting experience. Tickets cost €40 and are available on www.eventbrite.ie if you search Stories with Miriam O'Callaghan. 

If you can't make it on the night, but would like to support this important fundraiser you can donate using the link here.

Organisers have assured that every donation, no matter what amount, honours Sharon's memory and helps Pieta continue to be there for families when they need it most.