SOMETHING is brewing in the County Limerick village of Ballysteen.
The coffee pot is continually on the stove in the home of Anthony and Sylvia Moran from early morning each weekday, but it isn’t just the caffeine that’s stirring up the local community.
Souls are now being jolted in the hinterland of Askeaton-Ballysteen, through open mornings in this welcoming couple’s picturesque whitewashed cottage.
Anthony, a colourful and well-loved character, is living proof of the old chestnut that ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’. The 57-year-old is open about the darker, misspent days of his youth and now sees it as his “moral obligation” to use his life experience to help others through daily get-togethers from 10am to 2pm and a monthly rambling house shindig in his lovely country home.
“By the time I was 25, I was burnt out. I was depressed and lonely and was wild from drink and in every aspect of my life. It was a bad time for me, but slowly after immersing myself in nature, things started to change and I became more grounded,” Anthony reveals.
“People are so bogged down by the material and virtual worlds that they don’t realise that all they need is all around them in nature. Nature has the power to revive and restore you at your own pace. That soul essence we have as children is in nature. The natural world is meaningful, eloquent and creative and we need to embrace it and embark on a journey of self-discovery,” he explains.
A former Limerick footballer and graduate of UCC, Anthony is obviously passionate about helping to heal and restore minds.
He strongly believes that the answers people seek are within themselves and sees a sense of community, union with nature and serious soul-searching as the keys to self-fulfilment.
As he claims himself, some people not open to what he has to say, might find him “a bit daft”, but his mission to create an environment within his community that nurtures, encourages and assists people to develop their natural talents is certainly to be applauded.
Anthony has already released a CD as part of his unique Irish Spirit Rising community initiative and a book is in the works to help those who are searching for something more meaningful.
He also believes people are social creatures and now offers those feeling isolated and cut off from their communities a chance to integrate and make new friends at his weekday open mornings.
A remarkable and evidently self-aware and grounded individual, Anthony has a lot to say for himself and is adamant that all are welcome to drop into his home, have a coffee, sit and chat by the blazing open fire in his 200-year-old cottage, and maybe even learn a little about themselves along the way. How bad?
“It’s all about the soul and that journey to finding yourself. We have people dropping in and out every day. From nine years of age to ninety, our door is open to everyone,” he concludes.
For more details log onto www.irishspiritrising.com.
