Norah Ní Cadhain from Leitir Móir is a woman with a mission – and it’s one which has the potential to improve lives everywhere.

Norah, who has just been appointed as Irish Representative for the internationally renowned Complementary Therapists Association, representing over 9,000 complementary therapists in the UK and Ireland, wants to teach people how to use life-improving techniques such as massage at home.

She is well positioned to do that, being qualified in a wide variety of skills, including basic massage, pregnancy massage, sports massage, palliative massage, reflexology, aromatherapy and Reiki. She is also an instructor in baby massage and a complementary therapy tutor.

And her studies don’t end there. London born Norah, whose parents come from Connemara, is currently completing a diploma in Irish in Árus Uí Cadhain in Carraroe, which is run by NUIG.

Reared between Camden Town and Connemara, Norah had a deep love for her parents’ birthplace and finally achieved her dream of moving to Leitir Móir three years ago. Although she spoke some Irish, she felt it was important to achieve fluency, especially as she wanted to be able to treat and teach people holistically in Irish as well as English.

Norah’s passion for massage shines through as she lists its many merits, yet it was a passion she discovered by accident.
“A few years back I was in a car crash and my back was injured – I had whiplash,” she explains. She went to a physiotherapist and a chiropractor and while their efforts initially brought some relief, they failed to solve the problem.

At the time she was working in the corporate world of import and export in the UK and although she was able to continue in her job, her back hurt like hell. Eventually, she was given the name of a therapist who did remedial massage. Manipulation of her muscles gave her relief like no other treatment had.

Norah began to recognise its benefits, and when she saw an ad for a weekend introductory massage course she wanted to do it. Sensing her enthusiasm, her partner bought Norah the voucher for her birthday and it opened up a whole new world.

“I knew that minute I was never going to do anything else. I absolutely love every minute of my work. I always had lots of money but never had work I loved. I do now.”

She immediately booked for a foundation course with an accredited college, starting off with holistic massage and continuing on to develop an amazing array of skills in the complementary health area.
These included Indian head massage, reflexology, immunity care and subtle energy, palliative care and counselling skills among others. She practises reflexology which is recognised by various health insurers. Her work also includes physical therapy and sports injury and is a serious business.

“I do body work, I’m not into beauty,” she explains.
Throughout her career as a therapist, Norah has worked on a voluntary basis for various charities including Baby Massage Ireland, Children with Leukaemia, the Irish Centre in London, The Irish Massage Therapists Association and the Connemara Marathon. She also does presentations for local charities and businesses and onsite massage services in the corporate and charity sector. Recently, she was on duty in the film studios in An Tulach when the film Na Garda was being shot.

She also treats people with special needs, working in Tigh Nan Dooley in Carraroe and with the Brothers of Charity in Casla. Treatments such as head massage and reflexology are very effective for people with Down Syndrome as they assist in relaxation, says Norah.

“I have one man with Down Syndrome who gets his feet done and then he goes outside and smokes his pipe,” she says.

Doing this sort of work in Connemara has brought huge fulfilment to Norah. As a child, Leitir Móir was central to her life, as the family travelled there from London three or four times a year. She knew from the age of seven that she wanted to move to what she regarded as home. The link was strengthened when her parents returned to Connemara 15 years ago. And it was around that time she met her partner, a local man who moved to London to be with her, before they eventually settled in Galway.

When she began training in complementary therapy Norah realised that she had to have a strategy for returning. That meant working in England until she earned enough money to set up in business in Connemara.

In fact, she was so well prepared that she able to start work the day after she arrived in Leitir Móir. She set up in a fully-equipped treatment room beside her house and business has expanded steadily since then.

For more, read page 25 of this week's Galway City Tribune.