Clare priest calls for period of post-pandemic reflection

THE Parish Priest of Tulla has repeated his call for a period of reflection and healing, as pandemic restrictions finally lift and a day of national commemoration is planned. 

Fr Brendan Quinlivan, who is also Diocesan Communications Officer, welcomed plans for remembrance events on Sunday, March 20, and urged that all of the losses and sacrifices endured since early 2020 be acknowledged.

Figures released by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) show that 150 people in Clare died with Covid-19 between March 3 2020 and January 18 of this year. 

Last March, in the height of a Level 5 lockdown, Fr Quinlivan warned of an impending crisis of unsolved grief and loss, and urged the Government to address those issues as soon as the Covid emergency abated. 

“It’s very important that we acknowledge in a formal way and a ritual way, the great sense of loss experienced in so many ways over the last two years,” he said.

“First and foremost, there’s the loss of life. There is also the loss of opportunities. That includes the loss of opportunity for young people for socialising and growth as well as academic development. It also relates to the frontline workers who were worked to the pin of their collars and lost out on precious hours of family life. They made huge sacrifices. All of these losses need to be named, acknowledged and mourned.”

Fr Quinlivan said that while the lifting of many restrictions was welcome, people needed time to come to terms with the difficulties of the last two years.

“It’s not simply about getting on with life,” he said. “We need a period of reflection and we need to see what kind of ongoing issues might arise. I’m thinking of the extra Bank Holiday, which will come after St Patrick’s Day this year. It’s important to celebrate better times, but we mustn’t simply walk away from what we have experienced.”

The cleric and broadcaster added that time would be needed to acknowledge how society has changed and to assess opportunities for growth. 

“We do need to ask ourselves now where we are going as a society, what we value, and where we want to go. I do think we will all need space to discuss our experiences and to consider how we want to move forward. Those things will be very important.”

The Tulla PP warned of the potentially devastating impact of the country’s unresolved grief and loss, if it remained unaddressed. He said that people who had lost loved ones had had to mourn alone and even face first anniversaries amid ongoing restrictions. He repeated his view on the importance of supporting the bereaved.

“Restrictions were particularly hard for those who were bereaved and all of the restrictions made it very difficult to grieve in the moment,” he said.

“People need to process what has happened and to come to terms with loss. They now need the opportunity and the time to speak about their loss and to express themselves.”

Fr Quinlivan added that many people will embrace the re-opening while others will struggle with a range of conflicting emotions. 

“There is a cognitive dissonance for many at this time between what has happened to us and how we face the future,” he said.

“We know the pandemic isn’t yet over. We all need opportunities to talk, to share, to process our experiences and to heal. The wound is still there are we can’t just put a BandAid over it. While we might want to celebrate, we need to acknowledge mixed feelings hurt, anger and guilt.”