Grief was catalyst for 'spiritual awakening' of Athlone healer

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Athlone native Evelyn Mannion is preparing to release her debut book, 'Whispers of the Soul'.

Set to be launched in Athlone Library on August 28, the book is a deeply personal memoir that shares her journey through grief, healing, and spiritual transformation.

The daughter of Mary and Christy Shine, a former member of the Irish Defence Forces, Evelyn grew up in Bloomfield Drive as one of six children. She now has three children of her own with her husband, Sean Mannion.

The 37-year-old holistic healer and Reiki practitioner first connected with her spirituality following the passing of her beloved father in August 2017, the birth of her daughter, Grace, and the subsequent loss of a pregnancy just one year later.

"I had just given birth to my daughter Grace when my dad passed away. He had been battling stage-four lung cancer," Evelyn shared.

"The world became really unfamiliar to me. I had never experienced grief, and I couldn't distinguish between the loss and the overwhelming feeling of new motherhood.

"I was battling with this inner turmoil, and this intense guilt that I wasn't happy. I thought I was going to have to feign happiness forever."

Evelyn, then aged 29, turned to journaling and meditation in a bid to overcome her intense grief. She came to the realisation that she had been suppressing emotions throughout her life, and began to release them through her exploration of spiritual healing practices.

"I wanted to really connect with what I was feeling, and to make sense of it, because I couldn't distinguish between Grace and grief," Evelyn said. "I needed to sit with it, and to allow myself to feel those dark feelings.

"Once I started writing, it was like my soul was emptying on the page, and I got really good at processing all that anxiety, guilt, and doubt. I craved peace and connection, and I felt when I was meditating and journaling, that I could connect with Dad and with the baby that I had lost."

Through this new daily ritual, Evelyn was able to find a deep level of personal healing, which enabled her to gain a new perspective on life.

"It was a total spiritual awakening. I was raised Catholic, but I had never really been spiritual. I began learning more about spiritual healing tools and methods, and my friends and family started to notice the difference in me.

"I started to notice signs and synchronicities in my everyday life, and I realised everything that happened in my life up to this point happened for a reason, it wasn’t just by chance. I was able to manifest the life I wanted, and it all came from within myself."

Evelyn recognised a desire to share her tools with others, and the book 'Whispers of the Soul' came as a natural progression of her journaling.

"I had been working on the book for about two years, but I kept getting no's from publishers," she said. "I met a lady during a retreat who directed me to Orla Kelly Publishing. It was the perfect fit, and she really believed in the message of the book."

The holistic therapist described 'Whispers of the Soul' as a first step for those interested in spiritual healing, and she intends to create a series of books delving deeper into specific areas.

"It's easy to digest, and it has prompts and tools to help people get started on their healing journey," Evelyn said. "I really hope it can help other people to release those deep repressed emotions. People carry the trauma from past generations, and this is the first step in allowing yourself to let go of that trauma."

In January 2025, she set up her business Ériu Holistic Therapy, where she offers a retreats and therapies focused on inner child healing and embracing the divine feminine.

"I think the younger generation are very open to this kind of healing," Evelyn said. "They are naturally kinder to themselves than mine and my parents’ generation, and they're willing to do the work to break generational cycles of emotional repression.

"I'm doing that work with my own children. I really feel the mother's energy dictates the energy in the home, and when you break the cycle of anxiety and guilt, it has an impact on the whole family, which is so important."

“Healing is possible,” Evelyn added. “You don’t have to carry the pain of the past forever, it’s safe to let go.”

The launch of 'Whispers of the Soul' will take place in Athlone Library at 5.30pm on Thursday, August 28.