On 23 December, 2023, the O’Connor family from Killucan lost their beloved son, brother, uncle and friend Ryan, aged just 22 years.
Described as always having a smile on his face with a desire to help everyone feel better even when he struggled himself, the late mental health volunteer left a huge hole in the lives of all that knew him.
Grieving the loss of her little brother, Ciara O’Connor, sister of Westmeath Rose Grace, was struck by Ryan’s impact on the lives he touched. Everywhere she went people stopped to talk about him, always with the same message: Ryan had the kindest heart and loved to help, always with a smile on his face.
National Movement
This spurred the social worker/ holistic therapist to start what would become the national ROC (Ryan O’Connor) Repay In Kind movement.
“I was wondering how I could help people, because not everybody has the money to seek these therapies if they’re not feeling great,” she told Topic.
“I started holding a space free in my classes and workshops for anyone who needed it. They could message me in total confidence and come along for free. All I asked in return was to do a small act of kindness like buying a coffee for the person behind them in the queue, leaving a euro in the parking meter or just having a chat with someone who needed it, like a new mammy or an elderly neghbour.”
Small Act, Big Impact
When the small business owner saw the benefits in her own practice, she wanted to take it out into the world.
“It’s a really small act, but can have a really big impact. I saw this firsthand so threw it out there, inviting anybody within the wellness industry to join me and was overwhelmed by the reaction. So far we’ve nearly 30 facilitators from as far Sligo, Meath and Kildare and my goal is for it to become a fully nationwide movement. If anyone is reading this in the wellness sector, please get in touch.”
Official Launch
The ROC: Repay In Kind initiative will officially launch on 24 January, 2025 in The Annebrook Hotel where participating facilitators will receive certificates to show they are participating and brochures to share with clients.
“The response has been incredible. So far we’ve Reiki, breath work, yoga, shamanic healings, crystal healings, emotion code healing, holistic massages, reflexology, fitness classes and personal trainers. It is for anyone in the business of making people feel better and the level of the offering is up to the facilitator. Whatever they feel they can offer, that is enough.
“You don’t need to be clinically depressed to take a free space, you may just want to feel better. It’s a ripple effect because people leave feeling good and, from my experience, they are so full of gratitude that somebody has actually been nice to them that they don’t only do one kind gesture, and so it continues.”
Baby Brother
The mother of two set up Instagram and Facebook pages and thinks of Ryan with every share and message that comes in.
“You have to be extremely lucky to get through life without having some sort of a roller coaster or a curveball that’s going to knock you at one point or another and at those times a little bit of kindness can go such a long way. To me, that is what my brother was at his essence.
“Ryan was my baby brother. He may not have had a long life but he made a big impact on people. Always kind and caring, always trying to make other people feel better, a really happy-go-lucky guy, he was captain of the football teams, won class spirit of the year award in schools, that type of character, so a lot of people were shocked when he passed.
“People struggle with a smile on their face. You don’t know what someone is going through so it is important just to be kind.”
Helping others
The mother of two small children is passionate about helping people herself, having taken up up holistic practices a few years back.
“I love social care, I really love it. I have worked in the intellectual disability area since I left school but I felt I had more to give. My little holistic practice doesn’t feel like work and I get as much out of it as the people in the room. Ryan was very spiritual himself. It feels right to remember him in this way.
“We are hoping to get a website up and running too if anyone in the web design industry wanted to donate a few hours of their time to help the initiative.”
For more, contact Ciara at rocrepayinkind@gmail.com, on Instagram (@rocrepayinkind) or on Facebook (ROC Repay-In-Kind)
