Cork born, hurling from knee height
I'm Ronan Conway. Cork born, the youngest of four. Hurling was central to my life from knee height: I captained my club, Bishopstown, to senior grade, wore the Cork jersey at every level, and shared a dressing room with some of my idols on the Cork senior hurling squad.
On paper, all was sweet. The truth is, I struggled in those later years. Self-doubt and negative self-talk weighed heavily, and I bottled it up. My self-worth was tied to how many points I scored at the weekend. I felt like a boy in a man's body, with little idea of who I was beyond "the hurler". Eventually, I drifted away from the game.
Turning towards people
My role as a business analyst in tech, I walked away from also. Instead, turning my attention towards something I was passionate about - people. I started studying psychology. I spent the next seven years with The Soar Foundation, facilitating emotional intelligence programmes with teenagers nationwide. Working with teenagers taught me so much about human nature, human needs and the need for safe spaces to reflect, connect and grow.
What I needed was connection
In working with young people, I began to understand myself. I started to see why I had felt so unsettled and anxious in those earlier years. I realised I had been craving a space to press pause — to reflect, to understand myself, and to develop the skills to navigate the doubt and uncertainty I carried. I needed to know I wasn’t the only one.
What I needed was connection. Connection to why I played. Connection to my teammates. But, most importantly, a deeper connection to myself.
