We are the national charity addressing dying, death and bereavement in Ireland.
Our vision is an Ireland where people facing dying, death and bereavement are provided with the information, care and support that they need.
11/04/2026
“It was just a pet.”
For many people, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Research from the RSPCA and other articles highlight the bond with an animal is deep, constant and full of meaning and the grief that follows is real.
On National Pet Day, we want to acknowledge pet loss and remind anyone grieving that support is available. 💛
👉 Read more about coping with pet bereavement: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/losing-a-pet
📞 You can also contact our Bereavement Support Line on 1800 80 70 77 (Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm).
09/04/2026
For Education and Sharing Day, we’re highlighting our bereavement information leaflets, now available to download in 7 different languages!🗨️🧡
Understanding Grief and When Someone You Care About Is Bereaved offer clear, compassionate guidance for anyone navigating loss or supporting someone who is grieving.
💛 Share these resource with a friend, colleague, or family member today.
👉 Download the leaflets: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/bereavement-support-leaflets
05/04/2026
While Easter is often filled with celebration, for many it’s a time of quiet grief.
This , we share word from Good Grief As we move through Easter, we’re holding space for those facing a first Easter without someone they love, a husband, wife, parent, sibling, child, or grandparent. 🌿✨
For many, seasons of joy can also carry deep ache. And that’s okay.
If today feels heavy, may you move gently with yourself and may those around you choose compassion, kindness, and grace.
If you’re grieving this Easter, please know you are not alone.
Our Bereavement Support Line is here with care and compassion:
💙 Freephone: 1800 80 70 77
🕙 Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm
👉 bereaved.ie
02/04/2026
🗨️Right now, in Ireland, around 35,000 people die each year.
By 2046, that number is expected to rise to 49,000. That means more families will need support to care for a loved one, more people will require access to compassionate end‑of‑life care, and more pressure will be placed on our healthcare system.
But today, we’re simply not ready or resourced for what’s coming.
We need Government to prioritise end‑of‑life care, so that every person, no matter where they are cared for, can die with dignity, comfort and support.
If you are caring for someone who is approaching end of life, we are here to help.
💚 Our supports include:
1. An eLearning module and information guide: When Someone You Care About is Dying at Home – What to Expect.
2. Our Freephone Information & Support Line: 1800 60 70 66, confidential, compassionate guidance on end‑of‑life care, palliative care, and advance care planning.
This is the first post in our series exploring the realities of dying, death and bereavement in Ireland, because when we talk about it, we can highlight the realities like this in Ireland.
👉Read more of our dying, death and bereavement report: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/dying-death-bereavement-report
01/04/2026
💚 THANK YOU for taking on 100 Miles in March! 💚
To everyone who walked, ran, donated or cheered others on, you’ve made an incredible impact and your miles and your fundraising help support vital Irish Hospice Foundation services across the country!
If you missed out this time… don’t worry!
👟 100 Miles in October is your next chance to get involved.
Stay tuned, we’d love to have you on the journey with us!
31/03/2026
📣Do you have a creative idea that could inspire meaningful conversations Advanced Care Planning in Residential Care?
Irish Hospice Foundation's Caru Programme are offering Seed Grants for creative approaches to encouraging conversation in Residential Care about Advance Care Planning. Seed Grants offer “micro-financing and mentorship” in partnership with a residential care setting. With awards in the region of €2,500 per successful applicant. ⭐
👉Apply now: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/Seed-Grant
30/03/2026
⭐ Announcing our scholarship programme for the 2026/2027 academic year ⭐
We offer a small number of scholarships up to the value of €3,000 each to make education in end-of-life and bereavement care accessible to multiple disciplines (nursing, medicine, allied health professionals, and others).
Applicants from acute, nursing home and community health sectors, including counsellors/therapists in private practice, psychologists, social worker advocates and bereavement support workers as well as applicants from general voluntary community/sectors, are invited to apply.
📅 Application closing date: May 31, 2026
👉Learn more and apply: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/scholarships-2026
29/03/2026
As we move from March into April nature reminds us that healing, like spring doesn’t arrive all at once.
This , we’re sharing a poem by James crews that beautifully captures how though there is no 'after' when it comes to loss. Still, after a time, we do begin to emerge and a new Spring often begins quietly. 🌱✨
If you’re grieving, this season can bring both tenderness and hope. And just like the first crocus pushing through the cold, you’re allowed to grow at your own pace, slowly, softly, in your own time.
However this new season meets you, please know you don’t have to move through it alone.
Our Bereavement Support Line is here with care and compassion:
💙 Freephone: 1800 80 70 77
🕙 Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm
👉 bereaved.ie
28/03/2026
Have you spotted our Bereavement Support Line on your DART journey? 🚆🧡
If you or someone you know is grieving, our Bereavement Support Line freephone line is here to listen, with care and compassion.
Scan the QR code when you see it on board, or call 1800 80 70 77 (Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm) or visit our I am Bereaved page:👉 bereaved.ie
26/03/2026
Irish Hospice Foundation's Dying Well at Home (DWAH) team were delighted to be attend the All-Ireland Advancing Nursing Care Festival 2026 yesterdaybin Crown Plaza Blanchardstown. Our Programme Manager Alice Anderson presented on the day and our Healthcare Administrator Amber Connell hosted the stand for the event.🧡🌻
26/03/2026
This is our End-of-Life Symbol. We post it on the last Thursday of every month to remember those who've died in Ireland recently. Our thoughts are with all those who are grieving.
Visit our Bereavement & Loss Hub for all our supports 👉 bereaved.ie
23/03/2026
🎓 Applications are now open for the MSc Loss & Bereavement Programmes with Irish Hospice Foundation in association with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).
These programmes offer a unique opportunity for practitioners and managers to deepen their expertise, promote critical inquiry into the place of loss, death and bereavement in Irish society, and strengthen the supports available across communities, workplaces and professional settings.
👉 Apply here: https://goto.hospicefoundation.ie/Msc-2026
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Irish Hospice Foundation was set up in 1986 to fund and develop specific hospice services. Since then our work has expanded to address the needs of people dying in hospitals, at home and in other care settings. We work to provide equity in access to palliative care services for all patients with life limiting illness. We also promote discussion of a broad range of issues related to dying, death and bereavement, in order to identify what matters most to Irish people at the end of life and how best to address their concerns.
Our mission is to achieve dignity, comfort and choice for all people facing end of life.
Death and dying affects each and every one of us. Every year, 30,000 people die in Ireland and up to 300,000 are newly bereaved. Irish Hospice Foundation strives for the best care at end of life and in bereavement for these people and practical support for their loved ones.
THIS IS SOME OF WHAT WE DELIVER:
Hospice Home Care for Children: We have invested €2.5 million in providing Children’s Outreach Nurses all around Ireland, a Consultant Paediatrician with a special interest in palliative care and training for healthcare staff. All of these programmes are delivered in partnership with the HSE.
Education and research: Every year nearly 3,000 people take part in our training programmes and we estimate that over 50,000 people have received training in aspects of good end-of-life care and bereavement since we were established. We also fund pioneering research on end-of-life and palliative care issues across Ireland.
Nurses for Night Care: This free national service for people with illnesses other than cancer enables more people fulfill their wish to die at home. This service costs €500,000 per annum.
Hospice Friendly Hospitals: This programme aims to improve end-of-life care in hospitals. The learning from this programme is now being applied in residential care settings for older people.
Innovation in primary care and in people’s homes: We support developments in these settings so that better end-of- life care can be delivered everywhere and for everyone.
Innovation in new areas: We are committed to nurturing new areas. In 2013 we were able to attract philanthropic funding for an ambitious national programme, ‘Changing Minds’, which aims to promote excellence in end-of-life care for people living with dementia.
Advocacy: Through advocacy and awareness-raising, we work to promote a better understanding of end-of-life care issues and to influence decision-makers to make services more widely available to all who need them. We actively promote discussion of issues related to dying, death and bereavement in order to identify Irish people’s concerns about these matters and consider how they might be addressed.
