The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Farmers need to look after their mentalhealth
WORKING alone on a farm on a daily basis can have a detrimental effect on mental health and no-one knows that more than South Kerry farmer, John Sheehan.
The Dromid native is determined to shine a light on rural isolation and mental health having come out the other side of a very difficult period of his life.
It all came to a head for John in September 2017 when he decided to commit suicide.
“What drove me to it is being at home all day on the farm isolated with no money and no holidays. You have to look after your animals every day and all the money goes back into farm,” said John.
“I realised that I was out on the farm every day and I hadn’t a penny for myself. I was in a job 25 years and I had nothing so what was I doing here but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the farm.”
Luckily for John his suicide attempt was unsuccessful and he found himself spending two-weeks in the Reask Ward at UHK where he began to realise that he had to change his life.
“My idea has been to be gone but I was here so I had to embrace life so I did.”
It hasn’t been an easy few years but John’s experience has taught him that there is ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ and he is urging others to seek help.
John believes the isolation of farming combined with the 7-day a week job that farming entails is not a healthy way to live and by sharing his experience he hopes farmers will listen.
Following his ordeal John set up the Sunrise Tractor Run to raise funds for mental health services in Kerry. Now in its third year the annual fund-raiser has raised more than €11,000 for services in Kerry including €7,000 for the Reask ward and €4,000 for South Kerry Mental Health services.
“My idea was to get people talking and it worked. It is not talked about enough. There is noise about it when there is a suicide and then nothing until it happens again,” said John.
He believes that there are not enough services to cope with the need that exists and this was one the reasons why he kept his feeling bottled up until it was almost too late.
“I knew that if I went to the Doctor they would just send me home,” he says. However, he believes that now with awareness, help is available.
“There is a serious problem down here in South Kerry and more has to be done about it. There is a taboo it is a disease like heart disease or cancer. People do go wrong, Stress and strain put people wrong.”
John says that getting a ‘work life balance’ is key. He did this by making his farms in Dromid and Portmagee smaller and getting a job off-farm for a better income and socialisation.
“My advice is to sit down and think about the farm and what you are making. It is a great living but it is a hard.”
“You also need to take time for yourself. You need it even if you don’t think you do,” adds John.
He believes that the GAA is key to this in rural areas like South Kerry offering an outlet for people.
“Mental health is important so you have to look after it. Talk to a friend or a family and take the pressure off yourself,” says John.
It has been almost three years since John’s lowest moment.
“I am a completely different person now. I am more relaxed and I have time for myself. John’s Sunrise Tractor Run takes place again on February 2 at 6.45am. Registration is from 5am and the run travels from Foilmore to Dromid, Waterville, Coomakista and Cahersiveen. It is open to tractors, commercial vehicles, vans, truck and 4x4’s. Funds this year will be donated to Iveragh Mental Health and Cahersiveen Community Hospital. Refreshments after in Foilmore Community Centre. It is a fundraiser but more importantly it raises awareness of mental health.
“What happened to me happens to other people so it resonates with people. My break-down wised me up,” he said.
He is grateful to be here today and grateful to all those who supported him not least his wife Mary and the team behind the tractor run which includes Dan Tim O’Sullivan who donates his shed for the event, the sponsors and friends and family and the wider community.
For more details contact John on: 0872298378.
There is a taboo about mental health but it is a disease. People do go wrong.