Local groups join forces for mental health and addiction event

FORMER Limerick hurler Ciaran Carey will be one of the speakers at a mental health and addiction talk in Barnaderg on Friday evening.

The talk – titled ‘Sure look, I’m grand’ – has been organised by the Killererin GAA club, the Killererin LGFA club, and Killererin Community Council. The talk gets underway at 7.30pm in Barnaderg Community Centre, with entry free and doors open from 7pm.

Those present will hear from Carey, a counsellor by profession, and other speakers including Galway East TD Pete Roche, who is sponsoring the event.

“I was chatting to my friend Aidan Tierney (Tierney Talks), and he mentioned that Ciaran Carey would be a good person to get to speak if we were planning a talk. I went to Olivia Rooney (Chair of Killererin Community Council) and to the ladies club, and everyone jumped at it.

They thought it was a no-brainer,” said Tom Hughes, manager of the Killererin GAA club’s Junior team.

“Our idea is to create an awareness with young people, so that if someone is offered something when they go into a nightclub or a pub, they will know what to do. Football is great, but it’s not all about winning matches, you have to look after the young people and kids that are there as well.”

“I think it is important. Even the mental health side of things.

Teenage kids are vulnerable and it is tough on them with social media.”

Deputy Pete Roche praised the three groups for coming together to organise the initiative, which is available for people from Killererin and elsewhere to attend.

“The Community Centre in Barnaderg is quite central to a lot of local villages, to Abbeyknockmoy, Cortoon, Clonberne, Tuam.

I think people will see the benefit of listening to Ciaran Carey and others speak,” said Deputy Roche, the Fine Gael Spokesperson for Mental Health.

“The theme of the talk is promoting positive mental health, looking at addiction and gambling, and all of those things.

“I’ve often listened to Oisín McConville and others, and spoken alongside him before. I have found Oisín’s story to be very powerful.

It is more powerful any time you hear the real story from someone who has been on that journey.

“The talk might reach out to people who are very, very quietly not managing to the best of their ability. It might help or spark something in them to reach out.

It’s not always people that have, I suppose, little opportunity in life that might be struggling. It can be absolutely anyone. You would be surprised.”

The talk gets underway at 7.30pm in Barnaderg Community Centre, with entry free and doors open from 7pm.