New chapter for Corkman Bunny of The Midleton Hub

Bunny (Joe) O’Riordan, from Midleton, has travelled many places during his life. He has done many things, and he has achieved many things.

“Now I’m going to do the next right things,” says Bunny.

After losing his beloved son Cian to suicide, Bunny initiated the Midleton Bike Project out of a desire to bring the community together, creating a feeling of empowerment and uplifting people in a non-judgemental environment.

“We can talk through bikes,” explains Bunny. “The bikes became the catalyst leading to the setting up of The Midleton Hub.

“The main purpose of The Hub is to support people in the community maintaining positive mental health by providing effective affordable and accessible counselling, as well as psychotherapy to the public in east Cork and surrounding areas.”

There was no long-term plan.

“The Hub stemmed from interest in bikes, and it evolved to emotional wellbeing,” says Bunny.

The Hub which has charitable status, was his idea and his vision.

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

“The Hub has five therapy rooms growing all the time, and it will continue the same ethos.”

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

“My work there is done,” he says.

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

With a lot done and more to do, Bunny’s important work is not yet done.

“I trained as a psychotherapist and I’m going on to do a degree this year,” says Bunny.

“I am planning to set up practice in Cork city working with people who are struggling on a one-to-one basis.”

What is Bunny’s aim going down the psychotherapist route?

“While I have trained as a psychotherapist, I want to act as a mentor to people who are struggling after losing a loved one to suicide, bringing my own experience and my own life into it.”

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

Bunny and Cian bonded through their love of motorbikes. Working together side by side late into the night, swapping tools, swapping ideas, watching their bikes being restored. They were the dream team.

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

He has done a lot of work on himself after suffering devastating loss.

“I was in a perpetual rage,” he says.

I thought nobody could possibly experience my pain.

“I was murderous and suicidal. I had to do two years of personal work on myself.”

Why didn’t he just stay under the duvet?

“The day came to help people in my own community,” says Bunny.

“And in order to that I had to get well myself.”

He had built a wall.

“On December 28, 2018, I was in bed,” says Bunny.

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

His recovery began then.

“I started on a journey of personal discovery, and it has not ceased. I got peace of mind by stopping and reflecting.”

He learned to walk in his shoes.

“I learned to walk with it. Not running away allows for healing. Losing a child is unnatural. There is no natural healing process. It seems you never come to terms with grief and loss. 

For me doing personal work on myself, the insanity and the rage began to fade.

Bunny wants to help heal his fellow man.

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

Bunny, never throwing in the towel, intends to help people suffering trauma to stand up and fight.

Instead of staying stuck amid the tragic loss, grief and trauma, I want to offer people an opportunity to grow.

How?

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

He wants people to reach a good place.

“I want people who are stuck to discover a value in life again,” says Bunny.

Something of value happened to him.

“For something good to happen, I had to take an interest in my own life again.”

He could laugh again.

“My sense of humour returned,” says Bunny.

“I fell apart after Cian died. We were mates. Whenever I travelled journeys on the bike, I had a guilt trip when I covered the same ground I had covered with Cian on our motorbikes.”

Now Bunny travels light.

I don’t feel any adverse feelings now. I acknowledge that I’ve done this journey with Cian; and the same ground doesn’t trigger negative feelings.

Bunny feels fulfilled. “Working with people fulfils me as a person,” he says. “I believe completion of any project is important.”

Bunny has been on some journey.

“And what a journey it was,” he says.

“My dreams and aspirations shut down. Then, when I stopped, reflected, and looked back on my life, I could move forward.”

He looked on the other side of life.

“I broadened my own perspective of life with education, personal work understanding myself,” says Bunny.

Now he’s doing the next right thing, mentoring people who are suffering mentally and who are stuck.

“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, see wwwbunnyoriordan.com or call Bunny on 085-1146407.

The Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123.