Sons + Fathers: A new book offers intimate portraits of famous sons and fathers

A new book from the Irish Hospice Foundation is celebrating the bond between fathers and sons. The idea began when Bono approached the foundation offering to donate one of his drawings of his father to help raise funds. CEO of the Irish Hospice Foundation, Sharon Foley says: “Bono planted the seed for this book with his generous gift of the drawing he made of his father when he was dying. He asked if it could be used to raise money for The Irish Hospice Foundation, so we decided on a book, and the net was cast wide and far. We were blown away by the response and generosity of the participants, all who are very busy, well-known people.” The cast of the book, who all share moving and highly personal recollections of their fathers, is indeed incredible. Well-known men from creative, commercial and political spheres reveal intimate portraits of the men who helped shape their lives. Contributors from the world of film include director John Boorman and actors Daniel Day Lewis and Cillian Murphy; literary giants such as Roddy Doyle, Salmon Rushdie, Colum McCann and Paul Auster also offer their insights. From the music world stars like U2, Bob Geldof, and Paul McCartney share their experiences along with sons of notable fathers like musician, Julian Lennon. The book will go on sale on 13 April and is available from Irish Hospice Foundation. The proceeds of the book will go towards The Irish Hospice Foundation’s Nurses for Night Care Programme, a service which provides over 1,400 nights of free nursing care at home annually to people with a non-malignant terminal illness. Part of the funds will also be awarded to the Hospice Africa Uganda. Anyone who has lost a loved one will know how vital it is that we give them as peaceful a death as possible. The Irish Hospice Foundation is doing some of the most important work in this country. The IHF believe that everyone has a right to die in as much comfort as possible, with great care, love and support. “Hospice services should be available to anyone with an incurable illness regardless of age and condition in a hospice, at home or a residential care setting. The proceeds from the book will help us in our mission”. Available from all good bookshops April 13. Visit IHF for more details and to pre-order.