SIXMILEBRIDGE’s strong sense of community and pride of place can provide people with a vital sense of purpose and belonging, claims local psychotherapist and counsellor Fergal Clancy.
Originally from Moycullen in Galway, Clancy has now lived in The Bridge for around seven years and has worked in counselling and psychotherapy for 15 years. After spending eight years working with the HSE drug and alcohol service, the self-confessed “blow-in” moved fully into private practice in 2025.
Now working three days a week from his home in Sixmilebridge, alongside two days in Galway and online sessions, Clancy says he has found the transition into private practice to be hugely rewarding. “It’s the best decision I ever made in my life really”, he explains.
“Working for organisations allowed me to bring my experience from the HSE to my private practice. When you’re working for yourself now, I’m literally my own boss. I can work my own hours, my own way with people”, Clancy continues.
“I’m very busy. They say it takes two to three years to develop a clientele, but I’m literally working all the time now really, to be honest”. Having recently begun greater promotion of his services both by word of mouth and online, the Moycullen man is hoping to become better known by the wider Sixmilebridge community. Specialising in men’s mental health and addiction counselling, Clancy highlights several particular challenges that can emerge in tightknit rural communities like Sixmilebridge.
“There’s a lot of farming in the area, so a lot of men, lone men, will go to the pub for a bit of social contact. It’s working with men in relation to that and men in breakups, separations, divorces. You’ve got to connect with the person. This is real life. This is what’s really going on for them”, he adds.
Using techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), solution-focused therapy and motivational interviewing, the psychotherapist aims to focus on an individual’s continual progression, saying “I don’t delve too much into the past unless it’s necessary. I say, is this the block to you moving forward?”.
That focus on moving forward also extends to his own relationship with Sixmilebridge, where Clancy says he has been made to feel at home since moving from his native Galway. The counsellor has been warmly welcomed by the people of The Bridge, noting that he “felt like I’ve moved from one home to another really. They’re very, very warm and welcoming. You’re a part of it straight away”.
Coming from a strong hurling background in Moycullen, Clancy understandably feels right at home in the heartland of Clare hurling, planning to get more involved with the 15 time Canon Hamilton winners in the near future.
The psychotherapist is also looking forward to becoming more involved in the Sixmilebridge Town Team, a local group backed by Clare County Council and Shannon MD responsible for the betterment of the community.
“I don’t want to be just a person who comes and lives here and just works and that’s it. I want to get more involved in it and with the town plan and everything that’s going forward, I’m excited for it and I’d love to be involved in it too. It would be something that I would get involved in because they’ve been so good to me. I want to give back to them too”, he adds.