Irish Men’s Group Meetings

The Irish Men's Group (IMG) came about quite simply through men talking together in an open and honest way.  It sounds simple because it is just that - men opening up to each other in a safe environment with no judgment; helping each other through their own difficulties in their own lives.  It all began when Tom Kane and Andrew O’Loughlin (who had been friends for almost 20 years) decided to do a facilitation course.  Tom comes from a construction background and Andrew from a financial background.  During the course, real life situations that men and women found themselves in were discussed.  The groups were initially mixed and then, one day, they were divided into men and women only.  That’s when it all happened.  Out of nowhere, the men opened up to a level of personal detail that you could not find anywhere.  The setting was safe, the honesty was alarming, and the outcome was phenomenal.  Here was a group of men sharing for the first time in their lives how life really was for them: their problems, their fears and their world.  Tom and Andrew realised that men need a safe place to talk where they are not judged.  Very soon afterwards, in 2011, they set up IMG.  They ran a pilot group for a few months to see if what they had discovered really worked, and it did!  The group consisted of 10 men from all walks of life and professions.  Each week the men came together to talk, open up, share and get help from each other.  The focus was on various issues and problems that were getting them down and making them feel isolated and alone.  The result was powerful.  Interest is rapidly growing outside Dublin, and the goal is to open groups in all counties in Ireland - so that every man has access to IMG.  For more information, visit: www.irishmensgroup.ie or Tel: 01 687 7448 or 086 1928415.