Libraries NI invites the public to open up conversations about death dying and grief

Libraries NI is inviting the public to take part in a thought-provoking week of events exploring how we experience, understand and talk about death, dying and grief.

Running from Monday 16 to Friday 20 November 2026, Let’s Talk About… Death, Dying and Grief will bring together talks, workshops and storytelling events in libraries and online, looking at the subject through history, culture, folklore, creativity and lived experience.

This year’s programme explores the many ways people have responded to death and loss – from traditions that brought communities together in the past to how we understand and support grief today.

Events include historian Tom Hartley’s The Women of Belfast, uncovering the stories of women remembered in Belfast’s graveyards, and Professor Eileen Murphy, who will explore what human skeletal remains can reveal about life and death in medieval Ireland. Storyteller Stephen O’Hara will bring the folklore and traditions of the Irish wake to libraries in Rathcoole, Carnlough and Limavady.

The programme also looks at how we express and live with grief today. Cruse Bereavement Support will deliver an Understanding Your Grief workshop, while events from Sands Northern Ireland, Professor Mark Shevlin and creative facilitators Briege McClean and Anthea McWilliams will explore different experiences of bereavement, support and conversations around loss.

Speaking about the initiative, Chief Executive of Libraries NI Jim O’Hagan said:

“Talking about death and grief isn’t always easy and sometimes we simply don’t know where to begin. Libraries are places where people can come together, listen, learn and have conversations about subjects that matter.

“What this programme does is approach death and grief from very different perspectives. Some events look at the traditions and stories that have shaped how we think about death, while others focus on grief as we experience it today. We hope that by opening up these conversations, we can make a difficult subject a little easier to talk about.”

All events are free of charge, with advance booking or registration required for individual events. Click here for full programme details, booking information and further resource.