Michael Murphy to help shine a light on mental health at Moville event

Former Donegal football star Michael Murphy is to help shine a light on mental health and wellbeing at an event in Moville later this month.

The talk, which is organised by  Serenity House and Moville GAA, will take place on Wednesday,  November 29 at  7.45pm in Moville Community College.

The event will see the former Donegal captain speaking about the importance of mental health and wellbeing for everyone, but particularly for men, and how sport and active living have helped him develop positive mental health and well-being in his life.

The Glenswilly man will be joined by Derryman Danny Quigley. Since 2021 Danny has raised over £150,000 for local charities, completed ten iron man events in ten days, and completed a swim the length of the Foyle of more than 100 kms in pursuit of his mission to help end suicide and improve mental health in his hometown of Derry.

Danny’s talk will also reveal the secrets of the mental and physical preparation required for the epic feats of fundraising that Danny has attempted, and the science, impacts and benefits that physical activity and challenges like his can have on physical and mental health.

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The event will highlight the local supports that are available to anyone in Moville and Inishowen who may wish to improve their mental health or require further help.

Sharon Browne of Serenity House explained some of the thinking behind the evening: “Our community has had much tragedy recently, there is a lot of sadness, loss and grief at the minute, it’s extremely palpable. Why do we need to shine on a light on men’s mental health? Unfortunately, we may be seeing generational influence of the view ‘suck it up and get on with it’ forcing men to share less, use less support networks. They are less likely to attend counselling or share with friends and family around their mental health. People like Michael Murphy and Danny Quigley can really help change that, and help us to highlight the service that groups like Serenity House provides.”

The event is part of Moville GAA’s Healthy Club Initiative which works to support health and wellbeing on and off the pitch. 

Club PRO John Peto said: “Bringing an icon like Michael Murphy and an inspirational athlete such as Danny Quigley to the town gives us the opportunity to use their experiences and knowledge to have conversations around mental health and wellbeing that are rooted in sport and really easy to understand and talk about. 

“These two men have achieved an awful lot and are role models to so many of us, so we’re really pleased that they are coming to share all of that with us.”

The event will also see organisations such as Aware, Grow and others in attendance to share information and let the local community know what support is available to them.