Not a typical childhood: Trish Bourke on growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in TipperaryTrish Bourke discusses leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a predatory relationship and finding her place in the world Tue, 01 Sep, 2026 – 14:05Deirdre O’Shaughnessy
Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in rural Co Tipperary was far from your typical Irish childhood.
Weekends spent proselytising, no Christmas or birthdays, and very little interaction with the world beyond the community meant Trish Bourke was a sheltered teenager when she was groomed by an older man.
In her book UnWitnessed, Trish writes movingly about leaving the faith that shaped her, the predatory relationship she fell into and a termination she underwent as a result, and her eventual discovery of her place in the world.
From being called a murderer by her devout family to a loving but sexless marriage and teaching computer literacy to Martin Sheen, her story is full of twists, turns and contradictions.
Trish Bourke is today’s guest on The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast. Her book, UnWitnessed, is published by Menma Books and is available at unwitnessed.net.
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