The murders of Sharon Whelan and her daughters Zarah and Nadia in their home on Christmas Day 2008 shocked the nation.

For Sharon’s brother, John Whelan, the story did not end with the conviction or the prison sentence that followed.

Nearly 18 years later, he is still living with the enormous loss.

Now, through a new podcast called A Different Sky, launching today, Mr Whelan hopes to give a voice to families whose lives have been forever altered by homicide.

The series focuses not on the perpetrators of violent crime but on the people left behind, exploring grief, trauma, recovery and the support available to victims’ families.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Mr Whelan told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the idea for the podcast came from years of conversations with people who had experienced similar tragedies.

He said: ‘I’ve always found that when I’m sitting down and talking to people who have a similar lived experience, the conversations are very honest and truthful but very rarely happen outside of that space.

‘It struck me that if other people could listen to those conversations, it might help to change systems that aren’t very helpful or supportive of victims.

‘It might also inspire people who are struggling with trauma, grief or mental health issues themselves.’

The podcast takes its name from a phrase that emerged from Mr Whelan’s own experience of loss.

He said: ‘I described it as the whole world had changed. 

'Even the sky was different after the girls passed.

‘That always stayed with me.’

Mr Whelan’s sister Sharon, 30, lived with seven-year-old Zarah and two-year-old Nadia in an isolated farmhouse in Roscon, Co. Kilkenny.

Late on Christmas Eve, hours before she was killed, her father had dropped in presents for the children. 

They were all due to spend the next day together.

However, the following morning, the bodies of Sharon and her daughters were discovered after neighbours found the house engulfed by flames. 

Postmortems showed the two children died from smoke inhalation but Sharon had been strangled and had several other injuries.

Brian Hennessy, a 23-year-old postal worker who knew Sharon vaguely, was arrested after a DNA sample taken from him was found to match DNA on her body.

He initially denied the killings but later pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to life imprisonment in November 2009.

For Mr Whelan, however, it is his sister and nieces’ lives, rather than the circumstances of their deaths, that he wants people to remember.

He said: ‘The joy and happiness that they brought into our lives for the short time they were with us – that light will never go out.’

Family was central to Sharon’s life and remains central to the Whelans’ memories of her and her daughters.

While the family endured unimaginable grief after their deaths, Mr Whelan admits it took years before he truly confronted the impact the tragedy had on him personally.

For a long time he immersed himself in work and advocacy, campaigning on behalf of victims and their families.

It was not until the Covid pandemic, when life slowed down dramatically, that he was forced to sit with his grief.

Mr Whelan said: ‘Up to that point it was distraction, distraction, distraction.

‘I never really dealt with the depth of grief that I was carrying around with me. 

'It affected my health, both physically and mentally, and I didn’t realise it.’

Mr Whelan also said that he believes there is a widespread misconception about what a life sentence in Ireland actually means.

He said: ‘When you turn on the television or read newspaper reports, you hear phrases like “jailed for life” or “life behind bars”. 

'People hear that and think that means the person will never see the light of day again.

‘That’s a very comforting thing for victims’ families and for the public to hear. 

'But the reality is very different.’

Under the Irish system, prisoners serving life sentences can apply for parole after serving a minimum period in custody.

Mr Whelan, who is involved with the advocacy group Sentencing And Victim Equality (SAVE), said campaigners successfully pushed for the minimum period before parole consideration to increase from seven years to 12 years.

‘The truth is, it’s not life behind bars,’ he said. 

‘It’s 12 years before they can apply for parole.’

He argues that the system places a heavy burden on victims’ families, who can find themselves repeatedly drawn back into the criminal justice process.

‘After 12 years, they can apply and then, if unsuccessful, they can apply again and again,’ he said.

‘Families are put back on that hamster wheel of being retraumatised.’

Mr Whelan would like to see Ireland adopt a system similar to that used in Britain, where judges can impose minimum prison terms of 25, 30 or 35 years, or in the most serious cases a whole-life order.

‘We feel there needs to be a root-and-branch reform of the justice system where victims and their families are placed at the centre of it,’ he said.

‘The reality is there is never enough time after losing someone in this way, but longer minimum terms would at least give families more certainty and more opportunity to live some sort of normal life without constantly looking over their shoulder waiting for the next parole review.’

For Mr Whelan, the issue is about more than his own family’s experience.

He said: ‘There are 60 or 70 families every year stepping into this space.

‘We know what it’s like. We know what could make things a little easier to carry.’

While much of his public profile has centred on campaigning for victims’ rights and parole reform, Mr Whelan says A Different Sky is ultimately about giving families a voice and helping others navigate grief.

‘The biggest thing I want people to take away from it is hope,’ he said.

Through conversations with families, advocates and experts, he hopes listeners will see that while life after trauma is never the same, it is possible to move forward.

‘If people can hear others talking honestly about grief and trauma and how they’ve learned to carry what’s happened rather than letting it weigh them down, then maybe they’ll realise they’re not alone,’ he said.

‘There is a path that can be found.’

Nearly 18 years after the loss of his sister and nieces, John Whelan remains determined to use their memory to help others.

Whether campaigning for justice reform or creating a platform for bereaved families, he believes those affected by homicide deserve to be heard long after the headlines fade.

‘We’ve become the voices of Sharon, Nadia and Zarah and we have to continue doing that,’ he said.

■ A Different Sky will air on Spotify this Friday, August 14, with the first episode dedicated to the murder of Sharon Whelan and her children. New episodes monthly will feature families whose lives have been changed by homicide, but who continue to find ways to live with loss.