Promoting good mental health across the county

Events held for Tipperary Mental Health Week

Tipperary Mental Health week took place from October 10-14. On Friday, October 7, Tipperary Mental Health Week committee came together in TUS Thurles campus to officially launch the week. This was an all-county event to launch and promote a range of all county actions that were happening in the County during Mental Health Week.

The theme for the week was ‘Make mental health & wellbeing for all a global priority’.

A variety of events and programmes took place right across the county hosted by different community groups and agencies to highlight the week, such as Wellbeing café, Contemporary Photography, Self-Care Through Art, Let’s get Moving walking Group, Introduction to Meditation, Online Connect Café, ‘Health and Wellbeing Workshops’, to name a few.

One of the main events that took place over the week was a talk on Mental Health by John Lonergan who was Governor of Mountjoy Prison for over 22 years and author of two books.

This talk was most enjoyable and it was a talk that everyone that attended took away something from.

John spoke about mental health and life in general and talked about the stigma and shame that is still associated with mental health and wellbeing. He said no one should suffer in silence and no one should suffer alone. He stated that every human being is one step away from being vulnerable and that life’s journey brings you everywhere. He also stressed that people need to stop talking negatively to themselves and that every day is a new beginning.

The first talk took place on World Mental Day, Monday, October 10, in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, and the second talk took take place in the Talbot Hotel, Clonmel, on Thursday, October 13. At the Clonmel event there was a group called ‘Living the Life’, a group from a ‘Place 4 you’ and supported by Tipperary ETB that sang some fabulous songs at the reception of the hotel while attendees were waiting to attend the talk. Both events were free and open to the public and sold out very quickly. The talks was live streamed in order to allow people who could not make them or were unable to get tickets tune in.