A former student of St Brendan’s College in Killarney, Neil struggled for his entire life with mental health and as a teenager he thought about suicide daily.
Given his own personal story he now wants to help parents in Kerry whose teenagers may be experiencing difficulties like he once went through, with a free workshop in his home town.
In an interview with The Kerryman, some years ago, after the launch of his book, he explained he was known as the happy guy, the class clown, one of the lads – but it was all a front.
He thought about suicide on an almost-daily basis. The harrowing account of sitting at his desk, aged 15, while he was a student at St Brendan’s College in Killarney, thinking about ending it all, is just one of the many heart-breaking mental-health struggles Neil has gone through in his life.
Many years later at the age of 36, Neil bravely spoke out about his suicidal thoughts and now almost 10 years later he is helping others.
He is returning to Killarney next month hosting a community workshop, “Raising Resilient Teens: Spotting the Hidden Signs of Worry or Low Mood.”
“The community workshop will shares practical, real-world tools to help parents spot the early signs of worry, rebuild connection, and support their teen through stress and low mood,” he said.
“It’s for parents, teachers, and coaches who want real tools to support teens and themselves. It comes as UNICEF’s recent report ranked Irish teens among the unhappiest in Europe, echoing what I see daily; parents anxious, teens shutting down, and families unsure how to reconnect,” he explained.
Neil has been providing lived-experience-based coaching programmes across Ireland the UK and abroad, offering early, practical support for families and now he is bringing his free workshop to Kerry.
The workshop takes place on Thursday, November 13, at 7pm at The Panoramic, Killarney Racecourse. For details log onto https://events.neilkelders.com