Born That Way: ‘This is a story that the world needs to hear’

Thu, 13 Nov, 2025 - 07:49

In the early 1970s, a young American reporter named Patrick Lydon encountered the Camphill Community in Wexford during his visit to Ireland. This community, part of the international Camphill organisation, provided a space where individuals with intellectual disabilities could live and work alongside their caregivers as equals.

Inspired by this experience, Lydon established his own Camphill Community in Kilkenny, where he set up the groundbreaking KCAT Theatre for people with mixed abilities. This initiative created a community where individuals with differences could attain autonomy, learn skills, and live as their friends and neighbours.

The director Éamon Little and West Cork filmmaker Adrian McCarthy have created a compelling new documentary, Born That Way, which examines Lydon’s life and the extraordinary community he built.

Little had a personal connection to Camphill, and this bond was the driving force behind the realisation of the documentary.

“My brother went to live in a Camphill Community in 1991, and it was life-changing. He has intellectual disabilities, and I remember seeing him at a rehab place, before Camphill. He was sitting at a drill that wasn’t even plugged in and just staring at it. That was how he spent his days. When he came to Camphill, he completely blossomed. It was an incredible thing to witness, and that began my fascination with the organisation.”

In 2011, Little was approached to make a short documentary aimed at raising awareness about Camphill.

“When I was making the short, I met Patrick Lydon, and quickly learned that he was at the heart of this community in Callan in Kilkenny. It was the first town-based Camphill community in Ireland. They had houses in different parts of the town, which gave the residents a sense of independence and inclusion with the mainstream community.”

During the making of the documentary, Little and Lydon became fast friends. Little says it was Lydon’s view of community that drew him to him.

“When I was growing up, my brother was laughed at and insulted, but I knew that there was a substantial human being in there that was being disregarded. Patrick saw people with disabilities through a new lens.

“Disability is often seen as a deficit of some kind. People see disability as not being whole, whereas, in fact, the truth is more that people are different, that’s all. There’s no reason why they can’t be contributors to society. Patrick lived that philosophy, and it’s why I needed to tell his story. “

Little knew that he wanted to make a feature documentary that would introduce the world to Lydon and his beliefs, showing that people should have the chance to work and live as equals, regardless of their differences.

Lydon was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2021 and sadly died a year later. Little’s documentary became not just an examination of Lydon’s work, but also an exploration of his legacy.

When McCarthy, who had worked with Little on his previous documentary about Camphill, heard that Lydon was ill, he knew he wanted to help bring the documentary to light.

“When Éamon contacted me in 2021, saying Patrick was sick and asked if I’d come on board as producer and help get funding to make a film about the great man, I didn’t hesitate.

“From the first time I met them, Patrick and his wife Gladys left a real mark on me with their unique selfless views on how they lived their lives, so I knew we had to do what we had to do to get this film made.”

The documentary explores Lydon’s early life in both America and Ireland. It highlights his work at Camphill, featuring perspectives from residents and Lydon’s family. There are interviews with Lydon, recorded before his passing, which allow us to get to know how extraordinary he was.

The film is peppered with photographs which Little says illustrate Lydon’s strong connections with people with disabilities.

“Patrick’s brother, Christopher, who appears in the film, took numerous photographs of Patrick during a visit in 1973.

“He also provided me with photos from the family archives back in America. Patrick’s son is also a gifted photographer, and he has an extensive archive of family and Camphill photographs that really let us see Patrick’s community.”

The documentary has come at a pivotal moment when certain areas of the world are increasingly narrow in their views of individuals with differences.

McCarthy asserts that the timing of the documentary is more crucial now than ever before.

“In my lifetime, I’m not sure there has been a period of so much flux and division in societies around the world and here in Ireland, with extreme views about how we treat people who are different to ourselves.

“Patrick and Glady’s views on how we treat others in our community, and how they choose to live their lives, are fascinating.

“This is a story that the world needs to hear right now. I’ve been making documentaries since the late 1990s, and I have never felt that way about anything before; it’s kind of life-changing.”

McCarthy, who comes from Skibbereen, believes that Born That Way is essential viewing.

“I would encourage people of all ages to spend 90 minutes in the company of these people and their extraordinary community.

“I expect many viewers will leave the cinema feeling like something has shifted in how they look at others in their community.”