Good Grief is a collaboration between Waterford City and County Council and Wexford County Council, funded by Creative Ireland. The project explores how creative ritual can help people in the second year after bereavement.
Ritual expert Tom Gunning at Parable Garden (one of the retreat sites)
Creative Retreats
36 participants took part in eight full-day creative retreats across Waterford and Wexford. Each retreat:
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Was led by a different artist
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Explored a unique creative medium — from mask-making and movement to creative writing and aromatherapy
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Focused on ritual, helping participants discover practices they could turn into personal coping rituals
Movement artist Vivian Brody Hayes
The Role of Research
An independent researcher joined the project to:
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Attend the retreats
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Follow up with participants and artists over the following year
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Explore how grief changes when creative rituals become part of daily life
Early Findings
Preliminary results are very encouraging:
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Participants found new purpose and community
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Creative practices helped many move into a stage of grief that feels more manageable
The Documentary
We’ve also begun filming a documentary, sharing the story of Good Grief through the voices of participants, artists, researchers, and project leads.
Lucy Hyland, artist mentor
Looking Ahead
If the final report confirms its impact, we hope to explore pathways through which Good Grief could grow into a national model, bringing creative support to more people experiencing grief.
Read more about the ins and outs of the project here.
Photos by John Bermingham