Parents separated from children face seasonal heartbreak

WHEN Dave Whyte, spokesman for Separated Parents of Ireland (SPI), woke up on Christmas Day three years ago without his two children, he contemplated suicide.

Christmas, he says, is a heart-breaking time for parents who are not living with their children. His situation has now improved but he knows of one father who hasn’t seen his children in two years.

For the eighth year running, to highlight the plight of children and parents prevented from seeing each other, a vigil will take place on O’Connell Bridge in Dublin on Christmas morning. Last year, more than 200 people attended the gathering. This year’s slogan is ‘stop the hurt, put the children first’.