Open from
3rd–17th October, 2025
in
The Marino Church, Bantry 

The Voiceless

The palliatively ill say they often feel voiceless, marginalised, and invisible. They regularly express how they find themselves in a state of limbo, unable to return to the life they once lived before their terminal diagnosis. They describe their lived experience as being “neither here nor there,” not fully living, yet not quite dying. Despite being an integral part of every community, they, as a cohort, are seldom represented in our society, expressing the challenges of being terminally ill. We rarely hear from or about them.

A group of seven individuals, identifying with these experiences, gathered together in early 2024 at The Suaimhneas Palliative Day Care Centre in Tralee, Co Kerry where they all attended. Their aim was to raise awareness of what it is really like to live with palliative illness, to encourage open discourse on the subject and in doing so, leave a potent and powerful legacy, ‘a voice for the voiceless’.

They named their project Guthanna Idir an Dá Linn—Voices from in
Between.
The choice reflected their unique position and the profound journey they shared, one that many of us will face (unless we die suddenly). Theirwords are honest, potent and urgent.

The Installation

Guthanna Idir An Dá Linn, is an emotive, intimate, potent and powerful
installation that allows an intimate glimpse into the lives of the participants. It is a testament to the lived experiences, wisdom, and passion of seven palliatively ill people. It embodies their desire to be a ‘voice for the voiceless’ and to speak for all mortal beings, including those on the palliative path now and in the future. Their goal was to create meaning during the precious, limited time before they died and leave a legacy that brings about change in how we communicate about palliative illness and dying. Their initiative is ambitious, unique and of immense importance and urgency.

With heart felt gratitude to this wonderful group of humans:
John Wren who died in March 2024.
Susan O Neill who died in March 2024.
Tim Smith who died in November 2024.
Margaret Walsh who died in January 2025.
Michael O Morain who died in February 2025.
Geraldine Drury who died in August 2025.
Catherine Healy is happy to still be engaging in life.

The installation opened in Siamsa Tíre Tralee in June 2024 and received
phenomenal feedback.

It will be staged again in The Marino Church, Bantry, opening on Friday
October 3rd and remaining in place until October 17th 2025. All are very
welcome to attend.

To read their stories click on the links below.

 

“What happens when we remove discourse on terminal illness and dying from our lives? It doesn’t make death go away AND neither does it make it happen quicker. Without open communication and dialogue we further isolate a cohort of people who already express that they feel unheard. This silence, resistance to talk, gags them of their insights gained from the challenges of being on the path of palliative illness. It also deprives us all of that wisdom. If we continue to forget how to communicate about our mortality, there will be no one to truly meet us, hear us, engage deeply with us, to witness us when it comes to our turn to be terminally ill and dying. This installation is an opening into creating a new template, a new paradigm in communication about terminal illness and dying. Please engage with it, allow yourself to feel uncomfortable, to be rattled and let us all then begin a new dialogue”

Tricia Healy
Artist, Clinical Psychotherapist, Curator of Guthanna Idir an Dá Linn.

Curator - Tricia Healy

Tricia Healy is an accomplished visual artist who has been exhibiting successfully both in solo and group shows since 2003. She was a founding member of the artist co-operative The Blue Umbrella Gallery in Listowel, which was a hugely successful venture, selling art at a price that was fair to both the buyer and the artist 2002-2007. While there she mentored and co curated the first Children’s Art Exhibition in Kerry. She has worked with marginalised groups on Creative Expression with Listowel KDYS 1996-1998, with groups on communal art works, including a novel group of early school leavers in KDYS Killarney combined with young adults with disability from An Breanán Services, to co-create a large mosaic for the lobby area of the building.( 2004). She worked as an art instructor with adults with disability in Kerry Parents and Friends for 8years and mentored and co-curated a public exhibition of their art work in Tralee in Reubens Restaurant. She has worked as a volunteer artist with people who are palliatively ill on a P/T basis since 2007 in The Suaimhneas Palliative Day Care Centre, Tralee and has co-cuarated two exhibitions of artwork in the centre.

Tricia is also a clinical psychotherapist who has specialised in end of life care for many years . She is an accomplished public speaker and the Tedx talk she gave in Tralee in October 2022 has garnered over 40,000 views.

She has experienced first hand, the power and potency of the palliatively ill and has became acutely aware over the years of their struggles with feeling voiceless, marginalised and invisible. This installation is in response to this need. The seven people involved came up with the name Guthanna Idir an Dá Linn, Voices from Inbetween and created the concept. Tricia, supported by Áine Moriarty CNM of Suaimhneas Palliative Day Care, and the whole team, along with her close friends designed and installed the exhibition.

Tricia is contactable via email anewpath.69@gmail.com
on LinkedIn https://ie.linkedin.com/in/tricia-healy-640a7a2b.