The Best is Yet to Come: A Memoir about Football and Finding a Way Through the Dark

Description

Three years ago, when Cavan footballer Alan O'Mara was twenty-two, he spoke out about his battle with depression which led him to contemplate suicide. Only the thought of his parents and the pain that they would experience in his death prevented him from taking his own life. Now, in The Best is Yet to Come, he tells his story. From the role the GAA played in his life, to the decision he made to share his journey, this is an account of an ordinary young man, a GAA star, who found a way to move past the dark thoughts that beset his mind during his worst days, and who discovered that the only way out of the darkness is to ask for help. 'In summoning his courage and becoming the first active inter-county player to speak of his experiences with depression, Alan O'Mara gives a much needed voice to an aspect of human experience that has been cloaked in silence and stigma. This book, which is needed now more than ever, gives a rare glimpse into the complex inner world of depression and will give hope to those suffering in silence, guidance to those seeking solutions and inspiration for families and friends supporting loved ones.' Conor Cusack

Alan O'Mara is a Gaelic footballer with Cavan and an Ulster u21 champion. In 2013, when he was just twenty-two years of age, he went public about his experience with depression. Since then, Alan has become a leading mental health advocate in Ireland and is an ambassador to the HSE's 'Little Things' campaign and the Gaelic Player's Association. In 2016, Alan founded 'Real Talks' to facilitate discussions on the importance of mental health, effective communication, personal leadership and resilience in schools, the workplace, sports teams and other communities.

Wonderful ... [O'Mara] writes with terrific lucidity about his own struggles with depression and how they pushed him towards suicidal instinct - Irish Independent