‘Daddy died in his sleep’: Olive Foley speaks of Limerick’s Children’s Grief Centre support

The widow of rugby legend Anthony Foley has told how counselling has helped her children come to terms with their father's death.

The former Munster and Ireland star tragically died suddenly from an acute pulmonary oedema in 2016 in Paris.

His widow, Olive, has spoken about turning to child psychologist David Coleman and Limerick based Children's Grief Centre for support in helping her children cope with the tragic loss of their father.

Speaking to Marian Finucane on RTE Radio 1 Olive described the moment she received the tragic news.

“The news was the most shocking news imaginable. It was my mother who had to break the news to me,” she said.

Olives initial reaction was to try and hide her children from the pain. However, after getting in contact with David Coleman, he advised her the best thing to do was to be honest with them.

“He gave me the best bit of advice. He said: ‘If you are going to Paris, bring the children with you. Let him spend as much time as you can with the children.’

“The other thing is to tell them everything. You have to be so honest with them because if you lose their trust. If you hide one thing from them, what they will come up with in their head if you haven’t told them the truth will be far worse.

“On Sunday I had to break the news to them. It was a very hectic day. I knew that you have to say it very straight to children.

“I didn’t mention that he had passed or we had lost him. I was able to use the words daddy died in his sleep.”

Olive donated €30,000 from the sales of the commemorative match day programme after the passing of her husband to the charity. She is now an official ambassador for the Children’s Grief Centre.

Sr Helen Culhane of the centre has previously said “Olive’s recognition of the work being done here at the Children’s Grief Centre is truly humbling”.

The Children’s Grief Centre, which offers support to children hit by loss through bereavement, separation or divorce, won a Pride of Place award at the weekend in Cork.