RTE’s weather woman Nuala Carey has said she believes her late father helped her land her new TV show.
Nuala was left devastated after her father, Maurice, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2018.
But she said that time has “softened the blow” since his passing and feels he is still with her, helping her in her life.
Read More: RTE weather presenter Joanna Donnelly gets special tattoo in tribute to daughter
She said: “I wouldn’t say that time heals, but I would say that I think it softens the blow because you are used to that feeling now.
“But I think it’s very normal to have up and down days. That first Father’s Day that followed my dad’s passing, I found that OK; whereas on Father’s Day this year, I had a wobble that morning.
“So I don’t think grief is linear,” she told the RTE Guide.
“It will always be there, but that’s life unfortunately.
“And of course, the family is never the same, there is always that one person missing.”
But she said she find comfort in some places.
“My dad used to help out in our local church, so we put a little plaque on the pew that he used to sit on.
“Sometimes if I am passing, I will pop in and just kind of rub the plaque.
“Little things like that can give you a bit of comfort.”
Nuala also felt comfort when she landed a new RTE show, The Summer Show, which airs on Sunday on RTE One.
The four-part series sees Nuala and Derek Mooney travelling around the Irish countryside showcasing Ireland’s hidden gems.
But Nuala said when she landed the new gig, she couldn’t help but feel her father had something to do with it.
She said: “When the show got the green light, one of the first things mum said was, ‘Oh, your dad is never going to see this and he would have loved it’.
“This is true, and it is very sad to think that, but in some ways, I think maybe he helped it all happen.
“The screen test was in Cork as well so maybe there is something significant in that.
“In fact, one of the places I was sent to film was Mount Melleray Abbey in Waterford, a place that my dad loved.
“As it turns out, one of the priests that I met was actually in the same boarding school as my dad in Waterford too.
“The producer would never have known that when he sent me, but I found myself thinking, ‘Well maybe there are coincidences that aren’t coincidences, maybe dad is with me more than I think’.”
She added she felt her dad help her land the show, adding: “When I found out the show was happening, I said to mum, ‘Oh we have to go out to the grave’.
“I still like to touch base with him in that sense,” she added.
READ NEXT:
Soldiers ordered on trip of more than 500km to work security at Dublin Airport
Christmas could come early for 1.4 million people as 'government plans bonus'
Met Eireann's forecast shows best days of the week as summer returns to Ireland
Former RTE producer Kieran Creaven wants prison transfer over 'bullying issues'
