€¦  · Web viewConor Cusack makes Massive Impact on 6th Years through Mental Health Talk. Conor Cusack, former Cork hurler, visited CBS, The Green on the 17th January 2014 to

Conor Cusack makes Massive Impact on 6th Years through Mental Health Talk

Conor Cusack, former Cork hurler, visited CBS, The Green on the 17th January 2014 to give a talk about mental health to the sixth year students of the school. Conor, brother of Donal Og, gave an impelling and honest account about his battle with depression and mental illness, and his story greatly moved all those privileged to attend.

Conor Cusask has been doing tremendous work around Ireland ever since his blog ‘Depression is my Friend, not my Enemy’ went viral. The link had been shared like wildfire all over social media sites, and appearances on Primetime, interviews with radio stations around the country and universities like UCC came to follow for him. He became quite in demand, so the fact that he made time to visit The Green was a massive honour.

Conor is an advocate for lifting the stigma attached to mental illness and his work resonates with a huge number around Ireland and abroad. Unfortunately, the stereotype connected with mental illness has been one of ignorance and shame. This should not be!

During his visit, he gave a hugely detailed and honest description of his own horrific battle with depression, going back from his younger years to the present day. Conor had us hanging on every word with us feeling heart wrenching sorrow one minute and laughing the next. It really was a rollercoaster of emotion. Conor stated at the beginning of the talk that he wasn’t a doctor or a psychologist, just a normal man who has gone through these experiences, thus proving to the sixth year students to be a very relatable, genuine character, and he had us captivated from the start.

Descriptions were told of how in the depths of despair, he went to the garage of his home and cut what he thought to be a suitable length of rope to take his own life, only to be taken over with images of an umbilical cord being cut. The fact he was overcome with images of something that gave life to a human as appose to the rope that would take his away were shocking.

Conor is making a huge impact at a time when concerns surrounding suicide and mental illness have become progressively worrying, and especially as The Greens’ Donal Walsh had a very strong anti-suicide message. Donal made the powerful point that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, something that Conor verified in his talk. His visit was not just to tell his story, but to let people know that there is help out there and there is a way to come out of it and defeat the illness. He was living proof of that.

Amazingly the students felt comfortable enough to ask questions after the talk, which I felt displayed what a great job Conor was doing. It was lifting the stigma and getting people talking. The questions asked were great, to which everyone benefited. Conor came across as such a brave and strong man who has the courage to share his struggle so that people know that hope is there.

This school wishes to continue Donal Walsh’s legacy and his message which encourages young people, who are feeling low or going through tough times, to talk to someone they trust and to seek help. Conor reiterated that in his talk, and we are just delighted he was able to join us at CBS, The Green as he made an impact that I’m sure will stick with us for a very long time.