Carrickmacross Civic Offices will be lit up in pink and blue tonight as the town joins the global Wave of Light, the culmination of Baby Loss Awareness Week, with a candlelit vigil at 7pm.
Northern Sound reported on Wednesday afternoon that the lighting and vigil are meant to raise awareness of babies lost during pregnancy and to encourage people to speak openly about that grief. Sinn Féin councillor Colm Carthy, a Carrickmacross native, and his wife Denise lost their daughter in a stillborn death in 2016. Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan show, he said talking about baby loss and creating awareness matters, and that for years it was a taboo subject in the country. According to Northern Sound, he said talking about it allows him and others to remember their "angels".
A national moment at 7pm
Families across Ireland are marking the same hour. South East Radio reported that the Global Wave of Light takes place tonight, 15 October, at 7pm, during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. People are encouraged to light a candle in memory of babies whose lives were lost and to support bereaved parents.
Féileacáin, the Irish organisation for pregnancy and infant loss support, is again urging people to take part. The simple act of lighting a candle, South East Radio said, remembers those babies and lets bereaved parents know they are not alone. In previous years, buildings and landmarks have been illuminated in pink and blue — the same colours Carrickmacross Civic Offices will show tonight.
How to join from home
Anyone marking the Wave of Light at home is asked to light a candle at 7pm. If sharing online, South East Radio said, people can use the hashtag #FeileacainWaveOfLight.
Féileacáin was established by bereaved parents and offers support meetings, a helpline and local befriending. Its support line is 085 249 6464, with support also available by email. Nina Doyle, Regional Coordinator with Féileacáin, spoke to South East Radio about the significance of the night for families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss.
Why Carrickmacross is taking part
For Cllr Carthy, the civic lighting is personal as well as public. Northern Sound said he and Denise have lived with the loss of their daughter for a decade, and that he sees the Wave of Light as a chance to break the silence that once surrounded stillbirth and baby loss. Lighting the Civic Offices in pink and blue puts that message on the street in Carrickmacross, alongside the candlelit vigil at seven o'clock.
The vigil and building lights sit alongside other community gathering places in the town. Families looking for local support networks may also know the Carrickmacross community café at the Irish Red Cross Family Resource Centre, which opens on Saturdays as a welcoming space.
Tonight's Wave of Light is one evening in a longer Awareness Week, but the ask is straightforward: light a candle at 7pm, remember the babies who were lost, and stand with parents who still carry that grief — in Carrickmacross, across Monaghan, and around the country.
