***TRIGGER WARNING: UPSETTING/DISTRESSING CONTENT****
For years, Claire Smith carried the pain of a childhood stolen from her.
The Louth mother of four says she endured a decade of sexual abuse at the hands of her father — an experience that left her with deep trauma, anger and a feeling that her suffering had gone unseen.
In 2012, Claire made the brave decision to waive her right to anonymity as her father, Seamus Byrne, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing her. She says at the time she felt broken and devastated by the sentence handed down.
But in the final moments of her father's life, Claire says something changed. As she learned he was dying, she found a way to forgive him — not because she had forgotten the harm he caused, but because she wanted to free herself from the weight of that pain.
Now, Claire is turning her experience of survival into support for others, creating an app to help people through some of the darkest and most difficult moments in their lives.
Claire joined us on The Agenda this morning to tell us more about this.