THE inaugural Butterfly Run drew out over 1,000 people of all ages for a good cause, seeing a wave of purple wash over Mungret Park.
Organisers said that the run turned Mungret Park into “a sea of purple, uniting the community in a powerful display of support and togetherness”.
The inaugural run, held this past Saturday (October 12) was organised in aid of Féileacáin, a stillbirth and neonatal death charity working with those affected by the death of a child during or after pregnancy.
Many participating wore small butterflies carrying the name of small children who have passed away.
Limerick mother Leanne O’Donnell – who took part in memory of her late son Pádraig – said that “seeing all the little butterflies with our babies’ names on them was a bittersweet reminder that each butterfly represented a life that could not stay but also a beautiful symbol of how loved all our little babies are”.
Karen Heffernan, mother of the late Fiadh, said that “the huge turnout highlighted just how many people are impacted by perinatal and infant loss”.
“It was very emotional to see the sun shining down on everyone wearing their purple Féileacáin t-shirts with their babies’ names written on the back. Celebrating our daughter Fiadh with her sister, our families, and a community of bereaved parents was so empowering, comforting, and meant so much to me as her mammy.”
Organisers hope to make the run a yearly event to create a space for those impacted by the death of an infant.
