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community · Saturday 12 September 2026 · 10:00am 
Anam Cara Support Day for Parents with No Surviving Children
At The Killeshin Hotel · Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 TYW7
At The Killeshin Hotel · Dublin Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 TYW7
Anam Cara, the Irish bereaved parents’ support charity, runs a Support Day at the Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise on Saturday, 12 September 2026, aimed specifically at parents who have lost their only child or all of their children. The all-day gathering runs from 10am to 4pm and is facilitated by bereavement therapist Peter Hanlon, who works with bereaved families and has trained support volunteers for the organisation.
The day is built as a safe space for parents in this particular, often isolating form of grief to connect with others who understand it directly, structured around facilitated discussion rather than a lecture format. Anam Cara, whose name translates from Irish as “soul friend”, runs support days like this across the country as part of its wider bereaved parent support services, and this Portlaoise date brings that support to the midlands rather than requiring families to travel to Dublin. Peter Hanlon’s facilitation draws on his experience training the charity’s own support volunteers, so the day is led by someone familiar with the particular dynamics of parental grief rather than a general counselling format. Attendance requires booking through Eventbrite, and the charity’s usual approach to these events is to keep numbers manageable enough that everyone gets space to speak if they want to. It runs for a full day, from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, giving parents time to travel from across Laois and neighbouring counties.
The Killeshin Hotel is on the Dublin Road on the edge of Portlaoise, with parking on site, close to Exit 17 on the M7 motorway and the Portlaoise train station.
Portlaoise’s county museum and Georgian courthouse are a short drive from the hotel. There is more to see in Portlaoise and across Co. Laois.
Heading to The Killeshin Hotel in Portlaoise? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Portlaoise area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.