LADS ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Take a hike to beat loneliness and boost mental health
NEXT Sunday, hundreds of men will hike from Glencullen up to Fairy Castle and back again - all in the name of mental health.
Shoulder-to-Shoulder sees a bunch of men’s health groups come together for the second time, after more than 300 people completed the same hike last November as part of International Men’s Day.
Darren Scanlon, of the Celbridge Boys Club, is one of the organisers, along with Blue Balls Ireland, Dublin Boys Club and mental health advocate John Boland.
He explained: “The four of us came together and tried to fill the hills of Glencullen with as many men as we could to help break down the stigma around mental health and to get men out walking and talking.
“This idea of Shoulderto-Shoulder; men are notoriously bad at communicating, but when they are on the hills, shoulder-to-shoulder and walkin ing the fresh air, they can open up and talk more freely.
“It was such a success in November. The weather was atrocious, yet the feedback we got was unbelievable.
“We had fathers walking with their sons, brothers with brothers and friends meeting up who hadn’t seen each other in ages, the atmosphere was absolutely electric.
“The rain and wind couldn’t dampen people’s spirits. It was great to see.
“People were asking when’s the next one, so we didn’t want to leave it until the next International Men’s Day.
Start
“Darkness Into Light is on the 11th [of May], so we thought Shoulder-to-Shoulder could be on the 12th. That’s the start of Mental Health Week, the ‘Hello, How Are You’ campaign. It all ties in nicely together.”
Scanlon – whose Celbridge Boys Club organises walks every Wednesday evening from the Castletown House gates – is keen to spread the message of next weekend’s hike far and wide.
Dr Brian Pennie, a leading mental health advocate, will speak at the hike, while the charity Lighthouse has come on board. He said: “A few hours in the great outdoors, it’s a powerful medicine. The Celbridge boys meet every Wednesday for a walk and talk, and we meet every three or four weeks for hikes or swims or different kinds of workshops.
“Blue Balls meet every Monday night for a swim. Every group has its own little thing. It’s giving men options. Just take that first step and step outside your comfort zone.”
Why has he kicked off this movement? “Suicides among men are off the charts,” replied Scanlon. “Every other day we hear about another man taking his life and it’s heartbreaking.
“The ripple effect, the communities that are affected by this, the families that are devastated, the unanswered questions… It’s about building a community of men who are able to share.
“Men are very hard on themselves and it’s nice to go out and feel supported, and to have other men around you.
“It’s about men getting together and breaking down that stigma, supporting each other, walking, chatting, shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Those relationships that you make on the hills, or the chats afterwards, that’s what it’s all about.
“Then you might decide that you’ll go to Blue Balls on a Monday for a dip or to Celbridge on a Wednesday for a walk.”
Scanlon founded the Celbridge Boys Club in March of last year.
“I lost my uncle two years ago. My whole world spun,” he said. “I’ve always been into mental health and helping people, I was always into getting lads out to go hiking or walking.
“My own head was gone a bit, with my uncle and dealing with a few bits and pieces, and there was this thing of, get out for a walk, get the lads out for a ramble.
“If I can benefit from it, you can benefit too. It’s simple, we meet at the Castletown gates every Wednesday and we just go for a walk. That’s it, just a chat.
“You don’t have to have a problem, you don’t have to think you have to unload all your woes.
“Get out, get away from the house, meet a group of lads and go for a ramble. The laugh is unreal.
“Celbridge is a small town but it’s heading to over 30,000 people, so you can walk down the main street and not know anybody anymore. That can be isolating.
“Then after Covid and people stuck at home, if you don’t have kids, you are not a drinker or you don’t like sports, how do you meet new people? It’s very hard, the older you get.
“My sister works for Pieta House and one of the biggest things brought up on calls is helplessness and loneliness.
Meet
“In a world that is so populated, and we are all so connected with phones and social media and everything, yet we are all so disconnected at the same time.
“You’re looking at everyone else’s life. Look at his life, it’s so amazing and my life is so s**t. You are always comparing. What do they say? Comparison is the thief of all joy.
“It’s going back to those simple things of just getting out and walking and swimming and hiking.
“Since we’ve started it, I can feel the benefits myself. I look forward to every Wednesday, to meeting the lads.
“Every week there is a new face there. It blows me away, a man walking down on his own to meet a group of strangers. It’s mindblowing, because it’s not easy to do.
“It’s not rocket science or it’s not reinventing anything, it’s just going back to basics, getting lads out and being lads again.”
● For more information on next Sunday’s hike, check out Instagram (@Celbridge_Boys_Club, @dublinboysclubofficial, @blueballsireland and @bolandjohn0).