Megan O’Neill: 'My daughter’s arrival helped with the grief of losing my dad, it was bittersweet'

Singer-songwriter Megan O’Neill talks to Helen O’Callaghan about a pivotal moment on the night her daughter was born – and how her child’s birth helped her process the grief of losing her dad, which happened when she was in early pregnancy.

Megan O'Neill: "When you become a parent, you start to understand what your parents did for you, what they gave up and sacrificed for you, and how much they loved you." Picture: Róisín Murphy O’Sullivan.

When I reflect back on my daughter’s birth in the Coombe, March 2024, the point at which my whole world shifted wasn’t the exact moment she came out – you’re in shock then, you’ve been through this traumatic experience.

It was that night in the hospital when everything had kind of calmed down. I just vividly remember staring at her, for however long a time passed. I’d never experienced this depth of love before, or even thought it possible… to love that deeply.