My mother died earlier this month. She’d been diagnosed with cancer back in February 2022 and had been through major surgery and a couple of rounds of chemotherapy, so it wasn’t a complete surprise even if it was faster at the end than expected. That doesn’t make it easy, but I’m glad to be able to say that her immediate family were all with her at home at the end.

I was touched by the number of people who turned up, both to the wake and the subsequent funeral ceremony. Mum had done a lot throughout her life and was settled in Newry, and it was nice to see how many folk wanted to pay their respects. It was also lovely to hear from some old school friends who had fond memories of her.

There are many things I could say about her, but I don’t feel that here is the place to do so. My father and brother did excellent jobs at eulogies at the funeral. However, while I blog less about life things than I did in the past, I did not want it to go unmarked here. She was my Mum, I loved her, and I am sad she is gone.