The Uneducated PT Podcast - #57 Ian Neary - A Community Man

Episode Date: November 9, 2024

In this episode of the Uneducated PT Podcast we speak to Ian Neary Councillor for Bray East. Ian embodies the spirit of community engagement and service. In this episode we touch on self doubt, men's mental health, working class areas, safety in the community, the importance of sports and underfunded areas. 

Hello and welcome to the uneducated PT podcast with me, your host, Carlo Rourke. The goal of this podcast is to bring on interest and knowledgeable people from all walks of life, learn a little something from each conversation and for you, the listener, just learn something from each episode. So don't forget to subscribe to the channel, press the box below, show some support, and I'll see you on the next episode. Right, we're going to go through a couple of things that I want to ask you. I suppose the most obvious one is talking about, you know,

what you've achieved over the last couple of months. Can you just tell the listeners about what's been going on? Yeah, so I ran in the local elections in Bray East, and I got in my first time running, and I got in with True Independent Ireland, that's the party on we. And yeah, it's been a rollercoaster so far. Like, it was just, I was approached last year to run, and then I would kind of put on the long finger,

and then a few things lined up for me this year, and then I just jumped into the deep end in March and said, yeah, I might as well go for it. So this idea was already planted a year back, was it? Yeah, about a year ago. So I'm involved with St. Peter's Football Club and we're done really well last season, he won a quadruple

and local TD John Brady approached me with Shane Fian asked me what I run and I had a couple of meetings with him and Daisy and it just wasn't for me and then I said, nah, I'll leave it but it was in the plant of the seat in the back of my head like I was honoured to be asked

like I was thrilled like it's a huge honour to be like kind of even considered because you kind of you don't put yourself Well this was going to ask where were you involved in politics? I'd never no, not politics background at all just community based. I've always just been involved with...

So how can people... How can people... were coming to you asking you to get involved in? Yeah, I don't know. They must have seen potential in me or something. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe my characteristics take the right boxes for them or something.

I don't know. Or, well, John Brady, who's a TD, like, so he must mean something... Like, if he's seen something good to me, it must be good. You know what I mean? Well, you do a lot of kind of charity-based work in the town as well, aren't you?

Yeah, yeah. I'd help out any way possible with anything. Tell me about that. What have you been even up to since getting elected? Well, Well Rob Carrey who ran in Bray West who didn't get in, he set up a charity in up in his gym, up in blockchain

and it's a great idea and he's asked me to come on board and a couple other people like yourself and maybe a couple of great people. Can you tell the listeners a little bit about that? Yes, I'd say it's Irish name Cov Hare and it's basically in a nutshell if you've got a mental health issue

for young people, you text this number they'll text you back, it's all anonymous and if you need help whatever, whenever, any aspect, financially mentally physically emotionally you can meet with the councillors free of charge it'll be covered by the charity and then you can start six-week program whatever whatever suits people if they don't want to meet in person they don't have to they can talk over the phone or text message like they're very flexible like that and it's mine who are working on it there's a local charity

they do phenomenal work and a not for a lot of people don't know about them but like they do great work we met caddy before and we've had one or two means well we've got the ball rolling and there's a lot of good people involved and I think it's going to be huge in a couple of months stroke years so it's hugely positive what um did you have any hesitations about um going up for election yeah yeah like you've uh self doubt is a huge one like you think everyone has that from a child and it creeps in your adult code and you kind of i don't know you never pat yourself on the back really you never you never you never see ourselves to other people's eyes and then like with john brady seeing something me i'm like what's he asking me for like it's there's so many other good people

out there and then friends of mine are saying just run run independent you'll get in and I'll be like well I won't I and then I put on the long finger as I said but like if you did plant the seed and then it grew into said you know what I might as well go for it like I'm young and hungry and like I'm very I'd be very optimistic but it's to be very driven so it's like I think I have an awful lot of credentials that take the right boxes in the politic realm so can I ask you what what would have been some of the motivations and and drivers to um go up for election what are some things that you weren't happy where you wanted to see changed. Well when I was looking when I was thinking about I was looking at Bray and I was

just comparing slightly to Greystones and I'm a big sporting man so I've always like had that in me me locker basically I've always wanted football soccer or sorry football is soccer soccer whatever sport I've always been into it like I've always like watching it seeing what I can bring to people and then I was like looking at greystones they've a running track of full-size Astro cricket club rugby club then even for kids you have like Zoom and then I'm like Jesus Christ is great like and like Bray is a bigger population and we deserve it because there's so much good in every in every area of proof to me because Bray is me my family heritage has always

been bray so it's I've been right 100% my kids or bray grandfather or father you name it I can't remember how far goes back but like it's it's just been in our blood to be right goes back a while exactly yeah definitely yeah and then you look at like you see like the positive like just we produce like Katie Taylor now dying it and it's like boxing doesn't get the recognition it deserves and now rightly or wrongly it could be gone out of the Olympics which you to be a huge blow for Ireland because it's brought so much goodness to Ireland. And that's just one aspect. And then, like, even football, like, it brings people together, camaraderie, teamwork.

And that's huge for people, like, at a young age. And then, like, that's what, that's, like, myself and you. Like, you were involved football, I was involved football. And you see, like, the friendships it brings. And you get to meet people you would never meet before. And that's what it's all about. Sport, for me, it's huge. Yeah.

And I think it ties in well to even that other aspect of, of focusing on mental health for young people like giving them the opportunities to be involved in sport because there's facilities there for them exactly yeah yeah 100% because to me you need

it needs to be backed because you can look at Brian there's no running tracks so you have to leave Brad to go running and then say like there's no Astro pitch you have to go to Nisger or Greystones or somewhere else and I know the little small things

but they're expensive but like if Brite had that like the likes are more rovers should have it because like the many young kids they have up there and then come winter it's a washout and it's a You might have a bad spell now coming into September and the pitches are closed for weeks and it's out of people's hand. It's just common sense

to close them because they don't want the grass getting destroyed whereas if you have an Astro there, you can play around anywhere. Well, they're small things but they make a massive difference to the whole community side of things. Yeah. But like even look at boxing like there's Dana and she's boxing out of Venice Carey and the lads I know in the Bray area

like do phenomenal work Mark Buckley So why do you think I don't want to say probably underdeveloped but it is, Ray is essentially underdeveloped when it comes to the sporting aspect compared to maybe other areas that are close by. Yeah, definitely and for whatever reason it's obviously due of lack of funding

but to me that's what, going from Fassarow, Bray is hugely underfunded and then it's like the sport side of it as well whereas if the kids like even in the area had their better facilities they could then go well it's only up to town whereas I could like go into Greystone

it's not for anybody. you're single mother have you meant to get your kids there? Yeah, it doesn't work. Which is wrong. Yeah. Can you tell me a little bit about the election itself? Like, what kind of work had to, like, what kind of work had to be done on the lead-up to the election for you to get the results and the success that you got?

Yeah, well, registration-wise, it's straightforward. It's just a couple of forms filled in, 100 euro, and it's done. But the big work is the stuff behind it. What is that? What's the work behind it that people wouldn't see? So knocking every single door, we done that in Varee, more or less. And then it's Bray East, Bray West. We were in the East,

and we're blessed because the whole area is door to door. It's very compact, very urban. Whereas other people say if you're down, like even if Bray West, you have to go to Kilmechanic Eniskerry, the top end, Southern Cross, the Bray area is grand, but then you've so much travelling there, but it's getting the doors in,

getting the name out there, putting, telling people about yourself and all. Like, it's a bit daunting, you know. Anyone tell you to fuck off? The few people did, yeah. I'd say 99% of them were all genuine decent people. Like, because I would imagine, if you have to go to the door to door you need to have thick skin probably to a degree.

Yeah, and the good thing with me is like I've no skeletons in the closet, so I've never, I haven't let people down in the political realm, so that kind of stands to you. And like, I'll just do my best for people. To go back to your question as well, it's like even, yeah, so you have to get the flowers printed, hand them out, putting up posters, going door to door, you need a group behind you, only for Mark Nolan and Linda Flanagan, I wouldn't be sitting here. Yeah, there's a lot of help behind the scenes. Definitely, like even Mark, like he done a couple of videos with me.

and they were getting thousands of views and then the response was brilliant and that's the way social media is now it's a big platform for people to actually be recognised and noticed whereas the posters on the wall and knocking those you might have missed people or even might not know with anything to see you go oh he's doing well or whatever

do you think that a lot of the work that might have been done for you to be elected didn't even happen in terms of the actual the build up to the election it was probably like the years before out of you building up good relationships and like you said not having skeletons in the closet

and you know the community work that you do and like all of these things probably you know compounded to to give you the name that people want to you know vote for you and want to have your back yeah definitely so like my father worked in bray his whole life and so he'd know so people know the nerey name yeah and my father was a very good man he worked in the bray school project for 20 years so he he was a caretaker so like he's a friendly face yeah know what I mean he'll quiet man opposite to me but he was just a really nice man. My mother had a great reputation as well. She's just a worker as well.

So like just working class people and then people see that and they go like, well, he's just normal person like anyone else. I've got the same issues as anyone else. I'm not coming from wealth, more or less Fasaro born and bread. So it's like, and I'm proud to be. And like that people see that. It's like, well, he's just a normal fella. He's not coming with a silver spoon in his now.

He's actually coming to represent people and that's what I'm here to do. And what way do you want to represent them? Yeah, I don't give people, voice and then just kind of bit of belief give people a bit of hope they see me out there they see me walking around Brian and he say he's just a normal fella so like he's representing people as he should be I'm not saying the other candidates or councillors don't but for me it's the working class people that need to be represented here yeah yeah do you think that there is a little bit of a

class issue in politics um I would say so yeah yeah yeah definitely without going into detail but I'm sure it's like people are born into wealth and an awful lot of people want, they want their kids to be councillors or judges or barristers or solicitors and it's like, it's out of the equation for people like me, like there's no chance of that, like, like, done okay in school and nothing special, but it's like just get a job and pay your taxes and die. But to me it's like people need to see that there's more to life than that. And I think people see me out here right here right now, they'll say he's doing well and hopefully they can do the same and do well for themselves.

Why did you decide to go independent? then just for anyone who's listening who might not understand politics too much what's the difference between being independent and going with a party?

Yeah, so technically with a party independent Ireland so the difference with independent Ireland and the other big parties is there's no whip system so in a nutshell

the whip system is you kind of have the toe to line and you can't step out to your box and say like they might not agree with something

just say the big he knows the IPAS centre so if someone say there's just like no past centre somewhere and finifah, finagale are all for that. There's people in that

party that don't want that happening on the doorstep and that's what's happening all over or the people don't want this. They don't want just being flooded about non-nationals and not knowing who they are and it's scary times for people. So if you're part of that... If I was in a party, say one of the big ones I'm not allowed to speak up and say I'm against that

and that's unfortunate. And if you do speak against it is that essentially kind of you pushing yourself out of that party? Yeah more or less, yeah. Because you look at say slightly change the subject. I know Joe Bean was with Fine Gail

back in the day and he obviously didn't agree. I think, I'm not too certain in the background story, I just say it was something like abortion. Joe's independent isn't.

Yeah, it's just say it was the abortion thing or something like all I can't remember was that long ago. Yeah. And it was just to say

he had his opinion didn't tell the line he was basically left the party. Which is crazy in this point in age. Is that an issue in politics then

that, that you, for you to kind of move up the ladder, so to speak, you have to essentially go with policies that you might not agree

with? Yeah, because when John Brady approached me with Sinn Fahen and he was saying So just like if I got in and Daisy got in Yeah Because he's brave West and the two of us got in and I said Just for argument, I want this and Daisy doesn't want it I said well who wins the argument

And then it's down to the party The party policy So it's like, oh you have to go against my own beliefs Which to me is wrong whereas at least As an independent stroke independent Ireland I can say what I want to do what I want basically Within reason like you know Within reason yeah

Obviously like I'm just a common man like anyone else. I'm not like radical or stupid or whatever. Yeah, one thing I seen from you in an interview, it was, the biggest problem is that it's a party policy rather than a people policy. Yeah, that's basically the whip system. That's what I was aiming at there. But like in saying that, like I've met the other councils now and they're all good people. Like, and without a shout out, they're all actually, like, I get on really, really well with Ethan Flynn and Kennedy and I know for the fact for the next five years it's going to be great working alongside her, just picking her out of the eight of us, but it's like,

or not the people, they do mean well, you know what I mean? But like that, if something's coming down the line, they might not be able to vote or they'll have to go another way against their own beliefs, which to me is wrong. But like, we all just want to represent Bride the best we can and do our best for Bray, which is great. And that's kind of been an eye-opener for me. It's like, yeah, they're actually good people. Like, whereas I was kind of thinking preempting like rather.

But they're all taking to me, which is good, so it's great. So other than the issues of, well, obviously, the massive issue of you know mental health and trying to get um free on-demand mental health services for young people in bray and also then in terms of a lack of facilities uh for the town in terms of sport is there any other issues that you would like to see improved on or changed or any other ideas yeah well tour isn't huge so without a shout of it out the cliff walk has to come back into operation i know it re-routed it but it's technically not the cliff walk now but like it's a out of people's hands because it's like it's

falling, the sliding rocks on one side and then the coastal erosion on the other side. So it's a big ordeal. Like obviously if you could click your fingers, it'd be done. But it's a, yeah, it's a big operation. And I'd say it's financially going to be expensive. For me, it has to be done without a shout of it out because the cliff walk, it tracks tourism.

It gets people out of their house, mental health, obviously leans back to everything goes back to that at the end of the day. So people can walk it, go out to the greystones, come back and have a cup of tea, coffee. And just nice leisurely walk. And anyone can do it all. levels and you can always turn back because it's flat enough like it's whereas up bright head and

that it's not for everybody no um what have you enjoyed about the job so far yeah getting to meet new people and the inductions have been really good because you're getting to know the people in weeklow and then it's doing their counselors and they're actually they're very they're very open and a lot of them are open-minded as well and they're actually there to help which is great like to me i thought like the executives down and the offices in wicklow like i thought are they be looking down on people or they're in it for whatever reasons but they're actually all genuinely good people like i was actually at a meeting today with emmer o'gorman she's the chief executive only for half an hour but like really good person without a shout of it out like and i wouldn't

be saying it otherwise but they're the people you want to be working with good people community people as well that's what my next question was going to be about like what has surprised you about the job but i presume that is one of the things yeah how good they all are yeah yeah honestly yeah and even the councillors like from blessington arclow they're all just down there nice people like but so far anyway but to me we've all we're gonna have our disagreements down the line but that's all part of politics. What disagreements do you preempts are going to come down? Well, I know what's coming up straight away,

because they have the budget now coming up, I think it's in two months. I'm not sure when you're releasing this, but then, and then the big talk there is the local property tax, and that does fund an awful lot of... What is the local property tax for anyone that doesn't now? So if you own a home, you pay your property tax, which people think is crazy.

But then for the likes of the council, it doesn't get much funding. That's where an awful lot of the money comes from. so it's huge and then especially the way people forget very quick how misfunded everything was after COVID there was literally no money coming around

or money getting put into things so that has a knock on effect and it takes an awful lot of time to regenerate money and get people back up and running whether it be businesses or tourism just everything and anything like money is

what makes the work around unfortunately so what's your stance on that you think have a property tax do you have anywhere in particular that that money should go towards Yeah, but if you said to me the local property tax And then you showed six months later It's gone into this project here I'd say, yeah, it should be paid

But I can understand the flip side Like an awful lot of people haven't got money Like it's tough out there Like especially for little businesses Like you look at like little coffee shops And all clothes and hotels, prices It's gone through the roof Like it's scary times like financially

And to me like that's the big thing coming up So the budget like it'll have to be laid out then and there So yeah I'll see where we're at when it comes around but personally because I pay property tax I'd rather abolish it but I can understand the positives to it and the negative so is that is that some since since you've been more you're obviously getting more and more into politics has some some beliefs that you've had have they changed yeah I'd say so yeah everything's kind of an eye-opener now you're kind of looking at things more so and then you're like you're realising why such a things in place like even say the parking meter in the car park like that's huge for the council like you wouldn't realize how much do you rely on that and stuff and then to me it's like on one side you need more parking spaces down the beach but then it's again like you're probably taking away from the green way if you do that so it's everything has a pros and cons which is kind of it's just your head's getting turned in an awful lot of ways positive and negative and it's like stuff you never thought of which is good but like I'm still in my infancy here so like it's five years so like it's five years here so like it's five years here so like it's five years yeah Yeah, and then after that what happens?

Yeah, you go again. So basically the elections that we just came around, you go again for the locals if you want to. And then that's basically what happens. Then it's dog-y dog to get back in. And there's the only locals could you go up onto a national level then? So coming up in the next two months, I'd say, they're going to have the generals.

And that's basically, that's the TDs, that's the top dogs, all the Leo Varraggers, all those people that actually run the country, Simon Harris. And I have been approached with independent order to run. But for me, it's not for me at the minute, because as I said I'm only starting and I just want to get me feet in the door and I'm enjoying it and I don't want to jump you know Do you think working in local communities and local areas? You'll get less abuse than you're probably on a national scale.

Yeah I don't know see it's one of them again it's like yeah it's it's the unknown and I like the unknown you know what I mean so it's like even doing this it's the unknown to me yeah but I actually like it because I like challenges and I want to I always want to better myself and then the people around me see you go well well yeah he's healthy helping us here and that's what I want to do, give back. That's what it's all about at the end of the act. What are some misconceptions people have about your job? People just come up to you now and say, Ian, I want you to do this, this and this for me? Yeah, well, like, some of it's basic stuff where it be illegal dumping or wanting beans and all.

But to me, like, it's all down to getting motions passed and getting stuff through. Like, people come to who are looking for speed bumps. And, like, I don't even know how to do the motions yet, so I need to learn all this. And then an awful lot of things, like, that could be approved, but it could not happen for another two years.

so it's it's awful lot of like waiting around kind of stuff so it's yeah look it's interesting a lot of people want things done like that and now that you're in it you realize that a lot of it takes takes a lot of time yeah to get any of these things changed yeah well like i can understand why because there's so much on people's play that they need to get done like your your like the whole Wicklow area and then Bray is going towards the Wicklow County Council it's not like we just like in like that you'd love to just get things sorted boom boom like the cliffwalks a prime example no one no one in the world doesn't want that enough yeah you know what I mean like there's American tourists to come over for that

English tourists to come over and now it's like it's completely gone now yeah yeah it's it's an obvious fix but then there still needs to be the funds to do it definitely yeah is there anything so obviously since since being involved you know you can see that you know things can't just get done like this and you know some things that there's there's pros and cons to it and it might change your opinion on but is there anything that you're adamant that you know this is a situation that needs to be resolved and you know there's no two ways about it it's not going to you're you're probably not going to change your mind on it that it needs to be resolved well the mental health thing is huge for me sport then people in their

own community feeling safe that's another big thing and then just having amenities is really big like and then like even simple things like traffic like the traffic's just crazy and bray and it's Like that needs to be sorted, like, whether it be this week, next week, next year. But like, they're just little issues that need to be done straight away. And it's like, if the answers were straightforward, it would be done. Because everyone, I said, if people are, all the councils run the same boat, they want what's best for Bray, all eight of us. And that goes for any jurisdiction where it be Arclo, Greystone, Wiclow.

Like, it's just a knock-on effect everywhere. So it's about bashing heads coming together, forgetting about your party politics and getting stuff done. what in terms of keeping people safe what do you think could be improved in terms of the town in terms of brides what's happening at the minute is a national problem is the eye pass centre is open and everywhere

and an awful lot there is like it's undocumented men and then it's scary times like there's young kids stabbed in Dublin just around Christmas time last year and only the week there was a priest stabbed in Galway and like it's just these people are coming from we don't know where and it's like undocumented and it's just it's putting a fear in society and then the backlash then is people are like aggressive towards this and then it's like you're they're picking on asylum seekers then and it's wrong and it's like it's become a huge divide now and

it's starting to get like racially motivated and the people in power saying like oh you're they're far right and then it's like have you got to have you got the end of far right for being independent not shit no no no I don't think so but like people are going to have their own opinions on me I just I have three young kids and it needs to be safe for my kids and the next generation and the next

and it's just like it's just there's just there's so much out there aggression and hostility and the people in power are just they're adding to it

because the people of so many areas they're saying no to these what's happening but yeah they're letting it flow in and they don't know who they are

and the excuses they're coming from war-thorn countries but like you can yeah but everywhere everywhere's at war you know

you're at war in our minds so it's like I understand the people they need help but to me the local people need to be safe looked for first looked after first safely and soundly and now that they're going to bed

and they're not getting worried or whatever about all this extremism yeah it's a lot of anxiety induced for people definitely yeah yeah what about obviously mental health is obviously a huge one that we touched on earlier what did what would you like to see being done in the town I know obviously we spoke about the charity that we're involved on and essentially that's not even government funded or anything like that. What would you like to see done at a community level and at a national level in terms of mental health in this country? Well for me just if you could speak to everybody you just say look get out of your mind and into your community.

Now whatever that is whether you're into Rowan, you name it, Tiddly Wings, Badminton Chess. Get out there. There's clubs for everybody. you'll meet new people and like it'd be uncomfortable. Just what do you actually like and actually go out and where's local to me that's where I can actually benefit from that? You go around picking up rubbish and Bray Toaddy Towns, they do phenomenal work and all the only ones picking up rubbish.

Do you think that we've lost the community aspect a little bit? Definitely, yeah. And I think COVID was huge and that it brought an awful lot of people together. And now since post-COVID it's done both. It's mentally eroded people and the funding's not there. And it's just it's just crazy. easy like it's just an awful lot of people feel lost and what's everything's on the rise now where there's addiction mental health suicide and there's no stop to it like it's getting it's

spiraling and it's it's really scary for everybody like um i want to talk to you a little bit about obviously long distance running because that's something that obviously is a big part of your life as well what was the when did you start doing that and how important has that been for you yeah it's been huge so my friend owen fox he was into running and i know he got out so when he packed into football the others just got to a stage and we stopped playing football kids came along and then I went to a really bad patch mentally

myself and then we just done a couple of events and then I said you know imagine we ran every county in Ireland and then lo and behold ran every county in Ireland ran maritans, ran loads of stuff and it's been good and some of it's been for charity as well which has been great and it's like because it's you against you

which is kind of in life as well same about running you're just your thoughts your brain's telling to stop but you keep going and that's a metaphor for life really that's really how I look at it do you think the challenging yourself to do that

and building confidence team that's helped with encouraging you to take on the challenge of running for local election definitely yeah yeah yeah yeah 100% because people are like said back at the start people are saying like

oh you should do it and like people are saying what I can give but like when you're looking at yourself you're like I'm just a normal fella and then it's like when people are actually building up a little bit and it's like you know I actually

like you never pat yourself on the back really and an awful lot of people we spiral down with her thoughts We never actually lift ourselves up and it's go, do you know what, I'll give it a bash. And I gave it a bash and I got in, which is great. And it was 12 people ran in very east and I was one at a four, thank God, to get in, which has been great.

So what advice would you have then for any young men in the town who might be struggling with their mental health now at the moment? Let's go back to just what I said to you a second ago, get out of your mind and into community, whatever that is, whatever your community is, whether it be football, even if you haven't played football in 20 years, come Astro. just reach out there's lads out there there's always people looking for sport looking for whatever

that's why sports for me is huge you could go you could you could you could be a steward at a boxing event just everybody needs volunteers like there's so much out there you could go into the gym and lift the lightest whites ever and just be there for the chats and the mingle and get like even having an injury get out there and just just get involved in any sport everything just everything out there it's available so do you think we have a duty as a community as a town to to try and reach out and get more people involved in these community aspect, things like sport. Definitely, yeah. Like, I said just there, like, everyone's looking for volunteers, everything.

There's always events on. The fun fair, you could just wear a highway vest, directing traffic, and you're giving back to society, and it's great. And then just, you don't even have to, people, I think, like, mental health and alcohol is huge, and I think people don't realize that they go hand-in-hand as a negative. Like, you can enjoy your drink, but it can also deteriorate you as well. Have you seen that happen with a lot of people, you know? Yeah, like, could it get a bit personal?

Like, my own father was an alcoholic. He's a functional alcoholic, and he's a great man. He was really good man. And then when he gave up the job, he spiraled. He was drinking pot of whiskey a day, and he was just, he was out of hand. Like, whereas before I was just gone for a couple of points, grand, not a butter. And now it's just, and now you see it everywhere.

People have just given up hope and they're just drinking. Do you think that? Do you think that that's a big contribution to it, the fact that people feel hopeless, have not, don't have a purpose, and obviously alcoholism attaches itself to that as well definitely yeah

people actually realise who great they are they'd actually have something to live for but I think nowadays it's like it's so accessible these days to get drink to get drugs to gamble online 24-7 it's just deteriorates people

and it can go hidden for a long long time and people just think he's grand and he look grand and but realistically on the inside he's not he needs help and people need to actually just reach out and there's so many help lines out there where they be the Samaritans, pay the house,

the charity we're setting up and even like friends want you to come to them and like even you don't even have to talk about your mental help just go for a walk, go for a tea, whatever and it's the little things and it keeps you alive like at the end of the day people don't realise like you're they're killing themselves

like that's horrible man like a friend of mine Davey he committed suicide, nicest fella of me into the gym and I like his points football nice fellae, stop and stuff they want to walk in the dog every day and it's like gone just and I couldn't believe it like and it hurts like I'm feeling up a little bit now but like it that's why I'm getting involved with the charity with yourself it's like I never hear young people who are into sport and they're doing the same I'm like it's scary man it has to stop like it does it does it really does

do you do you think that like towns like Bray that you know might be um might not be funded as well as other other towns in the country we have lots of of pubs we have lots of buckees but like you said there's lots of businesses going out of business and and again the opportunities probably there's more up there's there's more chance of people going into a pub or a bookies than there is probably a you know a sports club yeah or a gym yeah yeah which is wrong yeah this day and age because it's so accessible as I'm going back to like it fair enough right we've underfunded underdeveloped or whatever we get but just didn't off all it out there I like that with running or walk and like anybody can do that like you can

walk anywhere or just even meet up for a friend like people i think we're doing that in co because it was uncertain times and i think now more so never people are still uncertain but realistic is like i appreciate life get out there and do stuff and there's something like you can get into anything now yoga palates and like you'd be mocked years ago whereas men like they go getting tans and all now and it's it's accepted like so you can actually be who you want to be realistically yeah do you think that we're more open to having vulnerable conversations now I think so but I don't think men do like it's it's very hard to open up and engage because there's a stigma to mental health and then with like just through history

it's always been a case of like I'm not talking about my oceans and I don't myself I bought an awful lot of things that's what I was gonna ask you next I was gonna say have you always found the easy to you know open up about these things or no it's not always no but I am now or 100% now what do you things changed in that time like I said you like just growing up in environment like housing estate and stuff and then just you're always tense fight or kind of thing and then it's like as you get all there and have kids yourself and you realize going like geez life's actually okay and it's good to talk and it is and then like people

that hear my sorry and then they go like well I've actually gone through a really bad breakup as well or no fella that's struggling with his marriage and like a cousin of mine he went through we're all shocked his marriage broke down and we took him in myself my man he lived to us for a year and like he needed that and like whereas he could have easily just went down another road and start getting into drinking drugs or whatever and wasted his life and now he's turning his life around again so it's never over like so and that's where people mental health like it's it's never over just reach out and get out there because people do want to help you where do you think um your passion or value to be part of the community and be it an integral part of the community has come from from living in it

and seeing like the the the good and the bad so it's like there's so much good like the best people you're in the house and say like my best friends are often fast or oh my phone there I could ring anybody if I needed a lift or needed a hand and you'd be there in a heartbeat to help you and that's the way it is and that's the way old school society communities was it was like you had your neighbours back and like that that's what we still have in Fasaro

and it's great and wolf town old court dear park it's everywhere it's ramping and then that feeds into the community of Bray itself because changing people are good people and it's them from like your nanny being a good person my grandmother and that's that's what we've learned from as well good people around us

what kind of a what kind of bray what kind of town do you want your kids to grow up in? Yeah, safe, friendly. They can, yeah, just engage, just enjoy the things I enjoy growing up. New people had your back and just there was a good place to be, seaside, whatever, bright head, everything. Good place to be. That's what, that's me, you know. So what last words would you have for anyone who wants to, let's say,

reach out any concerns that they have for you in terms of their community, in terms of the town like can they contact you regularly is there anywhere that they can email you how do they reach out for contact yeah so the email is i neary at weeklow county weeklow coco dot i and my phone number is oh89 40a 503a you can link that to whatever you want that's my own personal phone number neither day just send me a message and i'll try and investigate back to as quick as i can because i just i do know people need to be heard at the end of the day and i need to be and i can point people in the right direction yet sometimes i can't always unfortunately housing is a massive one unfortunately and like I've had two stories that actually break your heart

like it bring you to tears kind of and I wouldn't be a teary man but it's just hearing the stories are really upsetting like and it's crazy but like people need to know like there is help out there for them and people want to help them and that's what I'm here to do do do you think that a lot of people feel like they're not being listened so yeah because just like the lists for everything is so high now like housing waiting lists for hospital and then it's like and then everything's a domino effect and that's why at the end of the day all it spoils back to mental health and that's why people are struggling because they're probably scared

and then people are probably too fearful to reach out because they don't want to be embarrassed or whatever but at the end of the day they need to reach out because your family and friends need you in their life 100% like your community need you seriously like it's like to me suicide should be happening

it should be just sorted or being in the process of being sorted and it's not and it's destroying family's left right and center which is scary and really appreciate your time today we'll have this up on YouTube we'll have it on Spotify and we'll clip it up for people to be able to hear as well yeah appreciate your time Carl

very late you like to see what you're doing and keep it going thanks for watching if you like that episode and you want to see more content like this make sure you're subscribed and I'll see you on the next one