FASD in Ireland – ‘We were in the silly scenario where some GPs were telling women it's safe to drink through pregnancy'
Despite one in ten babies born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Ireland is one of the only developed countries in the world that does not recognise the condition as a disability
Ireland remains the only developed country in the world to not recognised Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) as a disability, and not without lack of trying.
Clare-based Tristan Casson-Rennie is the CEO and founder of FASD Ireland, a not-for-profit social enterprise founded in September of 2021.
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Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
FASD in Ireland – ‘We were in the silly scenario where some GPs were telling women it's safe to drink through pregnancy'
Despite one in ten babies born with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Ireland is one of the only developed countries in the world that does not recognise the condition as a disability Ireland remains the only developed country in the world to not recognised Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) as a disability, and not without lack of trying. Clare-based Tristan Casson-Rennie is the CEO and founder of FASD Ireland, a not-for-profit social enterprise founded in September of 2021.
Irish Examiner
20 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
How wellbeing festivals have grown more popular in Ireland
Back in 2009, a California-based festival premiered a new kind of experience, placing a traditional festival setting and health offering side-by-side. Wanderlust, set in North Lake Tahoe, curated a lifestyle which offset hedonistic nights with mind-boosting mornings, a combination instantly lauded as one worth following. Fifteen years later, Wanderlust's founders are still offering wellness benefits to the masses today — in the form of Eudemonia Summit, a three-day festival that hosted some 2,750 people in November. However, in lieu of heading for the sandy plains of northern California, revellers instead filled a gargantuan convention centre in West Palm Beach. There, they witnessed hundreds of speakers extol the virtues of cold plunges, regenerative health, and 'human potential'. This kind of event, one centred around feeling well, is catching on — and for good reason. In a society where headlines centre around healthcare, inflation, and war, true connection is hard to come by; feeling well has become elusive, and, something people are willing to pay for. This alchemy has fuelled the rise of the wellness festival — events and destinations promising the keys to self-actualisation. You don't even have to travel to North America to find them. The view from above of last year's Nourish & Flow RestFest Dublin's Wellfest (weekend tickets €100) celebrated its ninth and most successful year in May, with a myriad of performers: Sexual health expert Jenny Keane, plant-based entrepreneur Deliciouslly Ella, and Kardashian trainer Donamatrix among them — detailing the many ways any of us can be well. Further south, Cahir Wellness Festival (€20 for over 16s) launched its inaugural event early in the month to a 2,000-strong crowd following a 10-week run of advertisement by festival organisers Eddie Kendrick, Aaron Wall, Noelle Mulcahy, Paul Kearney, and county councillor Andy Molony. Kendrick, a psychotherapist who also runs The Heat Retreat Sauna, believes the interest is down to a mindset shift: 'The pub was the centre for everything for so long, and as a result, alcoholism was so normalised. 'Now we have an awareness of what that means, and people don't want to feel crap on their days off. They recognise the benefit of doing things that make you feel good. And that recognition is infectious.' The urge for alternative forms of healing is not new. Once considered in perjorative terms such as quackery and shrinks, the desire to seek new means of health and wellbeing has been accelerated by the difficult nature of feeling healthy today; higher food prices, GP appointment queues, anti-vaccination disinformation, and the rise in loneliness all contribute to a system that is resolutely making us unwell. As such, it can even feel necessary to tend to yourself in covert and unestablished ways. And yet, because of the term's vague and expansive nature, 'wellness' as a noun can be difficult to navigate. According to the National Institute of Health, wellness is 'a holistic integration of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing, fuelling the body, engaging the mind, and nurturing the spirit'. In theory, it encompasses stimulating mind and body work, but can feel co-opted by capitalism to mean anything from juice cleansing to LSD microdosing to skincare to transcendental meditation. Dr Clodagh Campbell. Picture: Brian McEvoy 'For me, wellness is feeling good within ourselves,' Clodagh Campbell, otherwise known as the 'Wellness Psychologist', says. 'It involves methods that make us feel balanced and grounded, like putting boundaries in place, eating food that makes us feel good, or anything that involves protecting our health and peace.' According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry is currently valued at $6.3 trillion (€5.4tn), with an expectation that it will increase to $9tn (€7.75tn) by 2028. Figures like that would make anyone cynical, even those calling from inside the house. 'There can be a sense of commercialisation of stuff that is kind of sacred, which had a question mark over it for me,' says Michael Ryan, a men's retreat organiser, and yoga and meditation teacher who regularly works with President Michael D Higgins. 'But the more I think about it, I think the people who attend these events are likely to be seeking deeper connection or meaning in their lives, and these events might be a great way to get a taster of what they're searching for.' 'I think the word is a bit loaded,' agrees Wendy Riordan, founder of retreat experience Nourish and Flow. 'As in, you have to look or eat or be a certain way. 'I think that's another layer of stress that we put on ourselves as a society.' Wendy Riordan, founder of Nourish & Flow RestFest Riordan runs Nourish and Flow RestFest (€450-€549, including meals and glamping), a festival-retreat hybrid in its third year. Taking place in Stradbally, Co Laois, a fortnight before Electric Picnic, the event will see 100 women eat together, attend talks, and sleep under the stars to obtain 'true rest'. Riordan credits a desire for connection with the rise in wellness-centric event attendance. She says: 'Hustle culture means we don't know our neighbours, don't have a third space, and any time spent alone is wracked with guilt. In a group setting, you're far more likely to lighten that guilty load.' Our day to day lives are relatively superficial, Ryan agrees, meaning true connection is hard to come by: 'In older cultures, we would have had elders to pass down information to do with wisdom or emotional intelligence, things we don't really get anywhere else. These are a gateway to getting that, in a world that can feel particularly harsh for so many people.' Campbell says: 'We're living such fast-paced lives that make us so stressed and disconnected that there's a yearning to slow down, connect with others and take a breath. And also a yearning to find someone who can help us do that because it's hard to do alone. I meet people all the time who are looking for help and guidance in that space to help them feel less stressed and anxious. There's a yearning for something different, and essentially to feel better, and less alone. 'Ultimately, people are seeking mental wellbeing. A lot of people I work with struggle with self worth, resulting in us being people pleasers. That, I think, lends itself to the psychology of this shift — it's hard to say no to people, but the resentment of constantly people pleasing is tougher still.' Kendrick agrees: 'I think the rushing we do is symptomatic of something deeper, and wellness is a break from that. Before now, particularly in small Irish towns, the only choice to socialise was the pub. Now, events like these give people a choice.' Last but not least, from a commercial perspective, the logistics of organising a traditional music festival are complex and multi-faceted, with any misstep potentially leading to significant issues. Most of these issues can be eradicated when elements like drugs, alcohol. and high insurance costs are removed, meaning that modern festival organisers and owners of the land they lease from are far more likely to pivot to a less hedonistic clientele. With all roads pointing to wellness, rest-filled weekends in lieu of boozy, muddy ones — should we all be redirecting ourselves towards yoga mats and drum circles? Hilary Rose, The Young Offenders actress, podcaster, and co-host of RestFest, suggests we change our mindset when considering it. 'When I was in my 20s, I loved music festivals,' she says. 'Now, I look for ones that make me feel good as opposed to bad. In many ways, too, music festivals were never about who was on the stage; it was the craic in the campsite or the woods afterwards. These kinds of festivals are much the same. We're looking for a community, more than anything else.' Tickets for RestFest are available now from
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘Over 10 years later, I still suffer from panic attacks' – people who were in child residential care tell of troubles they faced in system
He painted a sad picture of his chaotic early years in the care system at an event organised by the Children's Rights Alliance, attended by Children's Minister Norma Foley. When the system worked, it worked really well, he said, but when it failed, it could leave you feeling more defeated than before, he told the gathering of children's rights advocates yesterday. He 'absolutely hated' his first residential placement. It was a perfect picture of 'children should be seen and not heard'. He felt like a case file or a problem to be solved, rather than a child. He was suffering from severe mental health difficulties due to trauma early in life. 'I was given no privacy, no autonomy and no real voice in my care,' he said. 'Decisions about my life were never mine to be involved in. I didn't have access to any real meaningful mental health support.' They were told the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them He said he was made to feel ashamed if he ended up in hospital. 'I remember when they were told that the only way to stop my panic attacks was to ignore them,' he said. 'No one stood up and said that doesn't sound quite right. Instead, if I dared to have a panic attack, staff were instructed to completely ignore me for up to an hour. 'Over 10 years later, and I still suffer from panic attacks.' The next home was the opposite. His room had art supplies and teddies and staff paid attention to the things that made life worth living for him. He started to act his age and felt less institutionalised. 'I finally felt heard, seen and safe,' he said. 'I was never made to feel like I was seen as a case file. I was seen as Kai.' As an early school-leaver, he felt he would never see the walls of a college, but last week he got a first-class honours in his social care degree. He called for the voices of children in care to be heard when reforms to the system are considered and more support for young people after they reach 18. 'At times my mental health had to be in crisis before anyone listened or acted, a failure that not only nearly cost me my life, but took my best friend from me at age 16, a loss and pain too well known within this community,' he said. There is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand Andrea Reilly, who suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), said she found it a challenge to access services and support while in foster care. She felt support was crisis-led. 'Unless the shit really hits the fan, you're not going to get the support needed as quick as other people,' she said. Kate Duggan, CEO of Tusla, said there is a need for up to 300 social workers to respond to increasing demand, and an extra 200 beds in residential care. Due to staffing challenges, a social worker apprenticeship scheme is in place, which she described as a 'gamechanger'. However, it will take up to three years to see the outcome on the ground. The Children's Rights Alliance is calling for an additional €50m in Budget 2026 to provide investment in core child protection and welfare services. Ms Foley said a new framework for alternative care to support children and young people will be complete by the summer of 2026.
