The Butterfly Garden in Swinford

There’s a very special community initiative that I want to tell you about in Swinford, Co. Mayo. In 2020 a group of bereaved mothers got together and came up with the idea of a baby memorial garden. They fundraised and got support from the local community, and The Butterfly Garden was opened in August 2022.

The aim of The Butterfly Garden is to have a comforting place of reflection, where all baby loss will be acknowledged – miscarriage, stillbirth, neo-natal & child loss.

The garden is located at Brabazon Woods and playground, just on the outskirts of Swinford town centre, and all are welcome to visit.

One of the focal points of the garden is the beautiful mural created by artist Annaliese Brown, this has recently been featured in the BAMM – The British Association for Modern Mosaic, it’s a stunning piece of work.

I went along early one morning, just as the sun was rising through the trees. There was a gentle breeze and a real feeling of peace. It was a very moving experience walking around the garden and reading the inscriptions on the seats.