Member's statement: Bernard Branagan: Let's Share Grief

Member's statement by Mrs Cathy Mason on 13 October 2025.

MLA

Mrs Cathy Mason

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

13 October 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Bernard Branagan: Let's Share Grief

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5175432

Read the official Assembly record

Text

In our darkest moments, we all search for light, but it is a rare and extraordinary thing when someone takes their own darkness and heartbreak and uses them to help others to find their light. Following the sudden and devastating loss of his wife, Zipporah, Bernard Branagan was left to raise seven young, beautiful boys, with the eldest being just 10 years old and the youngest only five months old. It is impossible to imagine the pain and the weight of that loss, yet, in the midst of his grief, Bernard has found strength not only for himself and his family but for others who are walking the same difficult path. Rather than retreat from the world, Bernard chose to reach out. He decided that no one should ever feel alone in their grief. I have no doubt that Zipporah would be immensely proud of the strength that he has shown, the love that he continues to pour into their children and the compassion that he is now sharing with others in her memory. Out of love, loss and incredible resilience, Bernard has created an event, Let's Share Grief, which is taking place on Tuesday 28 October in the Burrendale Hotel, Newcastle. The event will bring together people from all walks of life — people who have lost loved ones, people who are still trying to make sense of that loss and people who simply want to listen and support. It will be a safe, gentle space where stories can be shared. I know from my experience that grief changes you forever and never fully leaves, but, in time, you can learn to carry it differently. When you meet others who understand that journey, it lightens the load just a little. That is what makes Bernard so special. He is creating a space where people can find comfort, connection and courage in one another. I have often heard it said that grief is the price that we pay for love, but, through Bernard's vision, we see that grief can also be a new source of compassion, connection and hope. The slogan for his event — "Let's turn grief into power" — is both powerful and profound. Those words capture the very essence of what Bernard has done. He has turned unimaginable pain into purpose. He has taken personal tragedy and transformed it into a movement of empathy, solidarity and healing. That is what true community looks like. Bernard is a beacon of light for so many, not because he has avoided pain but because he has embraced it with honesty and courage and shown that, even in loss, there can be life. Today, I pay tribute to Zipporah, Bernard and his children and to everyone who will gather at the Let's Share Grief event.

464 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:27 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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