What We Can all Learn from the Irish Wake

In this episode, Katy talks to Kevin Toolis – BAFTA winning film maker, journalist, author and more recently Irish Bardic poet.

Kevin has just finished a tour of New Zealand, sharing stories about how the Irish teach us to live, love and die. He shares his insights on how New Zealand is doing when it comes to understanding, and also practicing, the very human act of dying.

 He talks about our shared mortal responsibility to show up for each other when people are dying, and we also talk about the difference between a ‘we’ death and a ‘me’ death – a reminder that death should be seen to be a common social experience as it is in a traditional Irish wake – where people come together in the pleasures of grief, and in the burden and joy of death.