9 Jun 2015

Mothers and daughters - the good, the bad and the guilty

From Nine To Noon, 10:06 am on 9 June 2015

The Daughterhood book cover detail

natasha fennellWhen Natasha Fennell's mother was diagnosed with a progressive illness, she wasn't ready to deal with the inevitability of what this would bring. She wondered, had she been a good enough daughter?

She began her research and quickly learned that other daughters had similar fears and had never spoken about them before. Love for their mothers, regret for opportunities missed, resentments and emotional complexities all bubbled to the surface.

Along with Roisin Ingle, who is an Irish Times columnist they formed The Daughterhood, a gathering of women talking about their mothers. A book of the same name followed.

Natasha Fennell talks to Kathryn Ryan about the good, the bad and the guilty.

Book: The Daughterhood by Natasha Fennell and Roisin Ingle, published by Simon and Schuster.