He said: “It was such a gift to
have your parents, or you loved ones depart this life in a way that could not
have been more beautiful.”
The father of four said the level of care his parents
received allowed him to see the better side of humanity.
“Their spirits were looked after, their morale was looked
after, there was so much humanity in it that you come out of that awful
experience, you have to say goodbye at some point and I came out feeling
nothing more could have been done.
“You come out feeling that human beings can be the most magnificent
life forms in a way, it’s not easy to remember that,” Mr Gleeson said.
The actor said the experience was a “total eye opener” for
him. He said: “You are hearing all of the horror people can get up to and then
you go out to a place like St Francis in Raheny or out to Blanchardstown or any
of the places all across the country and you’ve people volunteering to help other
people who are in dire distress. “
He joked during an interview on the Pat Kenny Show on
Newstalk that his mother was “spoiled to death”.
“She went in and they absolutely spoiled her, they literally
spoiled her to death,” he said.
The actor was speaking in advance of Ireland’s Biggest
Coffee Morning which is supported by Bewley’s and is co-ordinated by the Irish Hospice Foundation.
All of the proceeds raised from events across the country
today – Thursday, 15 September – stay
locally. Over 16 million cups
of Bewley’s coffee have been enjoyed and an estimated €32 million raised for
hospice care nationwide through Ireland’s biggest coffee morning since it first
began more than twenty years ago.
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