The new Corkman Bunny chapter of The Midleton Hub

Bunny (Joe) O’Riordan, from Midleton, has traveled a lot in her life. He has done many things, and he has achieved many things.

Bunny says: “Now I will do the next right thing.

After losing her beloved son Cian to suicide, Bunny started the Midleton Cycling Project out of a desire to bring the community together, create a sense of empowerment and uplift people in a non-judgemental environment. .

Bunny explains: “We can talk about bikes. “Bicycles were what led to the creation of The Midleton Hub.

“The main aim of The Hub is to support people in the community to maintain mental health by providing affordable and accessible counselling, as well as mental health treatment to the community in east Cork and the surrounding areas which are near.”

There was no long term plan.

Bunny says: “The facility was born out of an interest in cycling, and it became a convenience of feeling.

A hub with a humanitarian dimension, was his idea and his vision.

“It is now running successfully under a new management board,” says Bunny.

“The Hub has five treatment rooms that are growing all the time, and will continue to do so.”

Bunny, a builder by trade, built the original warehouse that became The Hub.

He says: “My work is over there.”

I have the freedom to go and do the next right thing.

With more and more work done, Bunny’s important work is far from over.

Bunny says: “I’m trained to be a psychiatrist and I’ll go on to do a degree this year.

“I plan to start a practice in Cork city to work with people who are struggling individually.”

What is Bunny’s goal down the path of a psychotherapist?

“Although I am trained as a psychologist, I want to be a counselor for people who are struggling after losing a loved one to suicide, I bring my experience and my life to it.”

His son’s life was tragically cut short in 2009. Cian was 17 years old.

Bunny and Cian bonded over their love of motorcycles. Working together late into the night, sharing tools, sharing ideas, watching their bikes being rebuilt. It was a dream team.

“Then I lost him,” says Bunny, who rode Cian’s bike across 32 counties in 32 days. 32 to help finance the interior construction of The Hub.

He has done a lot of work for himself after suffering a terrible loss.

“I was eternally angry,” he says.

I thought no one could feel my pain.

“I was a murderer and I wanted to kill myself. I had to do two years of personal work.”

Why didn’t he stay under the duvet?

Bunny says: “The day to help the people in my village has arrived.

And to do that I had to heal.

He had built a wall.

Bunny says: “On December 28, 2018, I was sleeping.

“Blocks and cement arrived at my door. I knew I had to start building. I remember it was wet, humid and warm outside. But that’s how the building started.”

That’s when his recovery began.

“I started on a journey of self-discovery, and it hasn’t stopped. I found peace of mind by stopping and meditating.”

He learned to walk in his own shoes.

“I learned to go with it. Non-readiness allows for healing. Losing a child is rare. There is no natural healing process. It seems you never accept grief and loss.

As I did my personal work, the craziness and anger began to fade.

Bunny wants to help heal other people.

“I like working with people,” says Bunny. “I got that. And I have found the response to adversity is flight, fight or freeze, in other words, throwing in the towel. ”

Bunny, never one to throw in the towel, is committed to helping depressed people stand up and fight back.

Instead of staying stuck in the midst of painful loss, grief and despair, I want to give people a chance to grow.

How?

“By stopping, reflecting and engaging. It’s like catching a nettle in the right place.”

He wants people to get to a good place.

Bunny says: “I want unstable people to find the meaning of life again.

Something important happened to him.

In order for something good to happen, I had to take an interest in my life again.

He managed to laugh again.

Bunny says: “I laughed again.

“I fell apart after Cian died. We were partners. Every time I went on bike trips, I felt guilty when I covered the distance that Cian and I traveled on our motorbikes.”

Now Bunny walks lightly.

Now I have no bad feelings. I admit I made this trip with Cian; and the same reason does not give a false impression.

Bunny feels satisfied. He says: “Working with people inspires me as a person. “I believe the completion of any project is important.”

Bunny has been on a trip.

“And what a journey it was,” he says.

“My dreams and aspirations were blocked. Now, when I stop, think, and look back on my life, I was able to move forward.”

He looked at the other side of life.

Bunny says: “I broadened my outlook on life through education, to understand my work.

Now he is doing the next right thing, guiding the mentally challenged and the unshakeable.

“There is no rule book,” says Bunny.

There are no easy answers. But there is a question.

“What’s the next right thing?”

For more information, see wwwbunnyoriordan.com or call Bunny on 085-1146407.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.