Battling with Anorexia

Posted on 13. Jul, 2017 in Mental Health

To the Bone is a controversial film about anorexia, which has brought up much discussion about the illness. Here in this piece from the archives, we hear the story of Marie Devine who battled with this incredibly complicated disease as a teenager and again in her thirties. She spent many months in psychiatric hospitals trying to […]

Mercy at work in Hospitals

Posted on 10. Mar, 2016 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Faith and Justice, Gospel Values, Grief, Hospice, Spirituality, Suicide

Marianne Quinn is the chaplain in St Columcille hospital in Loughlinstown, Dublin. Her work involves caring for the dying and for those who have been bereaved. She says that her work allows her to channel God’s mercy and to be present in whatever way she is needed. Mercy, she says, is particularly important in deaths […]

Sow and Grow

Posted on 03. Mar, 2016 in Community, Ecology, Mental Health

The national Sow and Grow Campaign for primary school children was launched at Our Lady of Good Counsel National School, Mourne Road, Drimnagh, Dublin on March 1st. The is to introduce primary school children to growing their own food and learning more about where food comes from. GIY – Grow It Yourself teamed up with Innocent to distribute 30,000 seed packs […]

Saved by God

Posted on 18. Feb, 2016 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Depression, Grief, Suicide

Rebecca Ryan is best known for her roles in I.R.A.: King of Nothing (2006), The Tudors (2007) and The Draft (2006). She was also in Fair City. Despite all this external success, abuse she’d experienced as a child caused  her to go down the dark road of self harm and even attempted suicide. She was saved at the last […]

Overcoming Unemployment

Posted on 04. Jun, 2015 in Community, Mental Health

Recent figures show a decline in unemployment, but the story is somewhat more complex for people who have been in long-term unemployment. Michelle Murphy from Social Justice Ireland, who are working to build a just society, spoke about how people who have been long-term unemployed for  suffer consequences their entire lives. Also the reducing in […]

The Joy of Running

Posted on 28. May, 2015 in Mental Health

Patrick Muldoon has been running for years. But for him it’s more than just exercise. He works in the Jesuit Communication Centre and blogs on many things including his love of running. He talks about how it brings him closer to God and to gratitude. As he says on Jesuit.ie, “I run for the love […]

Challenge for Console

Posted on 12. Feb, 2015 in Depression, Stress, Suicide

National suicide prevention and bereavement charity Console has appointed fitness coach Pat Divilly  as its youth mental health ambassador. The well-known Galway sports trainer and author has vowed to get one thousand people together under the Console banner to form the biggest team ever to enter the worldwide Tough Mudder fitness challenge. He is even planning a trip to […]

Living with Bipolar Part Two

Posted on 15. Jan, 2015 in Depression, Health, Mental Health

In this second story from somebody living with Bipolar, Gary explores some of the possible lifestyle approaches that somebody can take in order to “clear the fog”. Having experienced the highs and lows of extreme moods for most of his life he looks at how bipolar needs to be better understood by everybody from a […]

Living with Suicide

Posted on 11. Sep, 2014 in Retreats, Spiritual, Suicide

Suicide is unfortunately prevalent in our society and the statistics are a stark reality of the numbers of people impacted by suicide. It’s estimated that around 1,000 people die by suicide in Ireland each year and many hundreds more are affected. Lough Derg are holding a special Living with Suicide Retreat day on September 24th to bring […]

Helping Children Living with Autism

Posted on 21. Mar, 2014 in Christian Values, Eating Disorder, Education, Health, Mental Health, Music Therapy, Young people

Dr Goodwin McDonnell is a practicing GP who along with a great many of the medical profession have committed themselves to help children and families who are living with autism and related life challenging illnesses. Dr. Goodwin is not just a GP but also a homeopath, and approaches his medical practice with an integrative approach […]