About the author

Life changed forever for Barb and Paul Ireland and their family following a freak accident in 2003, that claimed their little daughter’s life. Three-year-old Laura died tragically and, in the process, left the Irelands devastated.

At the heart of writing Daddy Will Carry Me was Barb’s desire to offer hope to those left bereft by grief. She recalls her own journey, of being a heartbroken young woman, spending long evenings in front of her computer, searching for stories of parents who had come through the journey of child loss with their faith and marriage intact. At that time, she had no other means of seeing a way forward.

Daddy Will Carry Me is a powerful story told by Barb with rawness and honesty. She confronts the question of “why?” and the dilemma of where God is when the worst happens.
The hope-filled pages will bring assurance and encouragement to all who encounter heartbreak and those who stand with them.

Barb and Paul were married in 1986. Until recent years, they have resided in regional South Australia, working on their farming enterprise. With the loss of Laura came a
re-shaping of Paul and Barb’s priorities and with that their vocations. The most significant of these is their transition from farming into ministry, with Paul moving from shepherding sheep to shepherding people! Both have a deep desire to see restoration for people gripped by devastating circumstance, taking every opportunity the Lord presents to do this.
 

They have been raised up in leadership in their local Australian Christian Churches (ACC) church, with Paul having had the role of Senior Pastor for the past eight years.