OPINION: 'Go Mo' this November for men's health in Kilkenny and across the globe

For many men, talking about their health is as likely as asking an infant to do Pythagoras’ Theorem. Very unlikely!

Awkwardness, ignorance and multiple other factors all come into play when it comes to putting our health and general welfare on the backfoot as the downfall of Man United or that latest Netflix series takes precedence over the most important aspect of our lives. After all, 'your health is your wealth'.

In this fast-paced environment we call life, numerous tasks appear to be life or death, from having a fight with your sister over her taking your shampoo to pushing and shoving in the heat of battle during the local hurling championship. As important as those days may feel at the time, they dwarf into pure insignificance with the passing of time. Life goes on.

So, speaking as a man, why can’t we show the same level of interest when it comes to issues that may impact the rest of our lives? From a mysterious lump to not feeling well mentally. 'I’m grand' shouldn’t wash as an excuse in today’s society.

Movember, a campaign which raises funds and awareness around men’s physical and mental health, has grown significantly since its launch in 2003.

The annual initiative encourages men to raise funds for a charity of their choice, either by growing a moustache, shaving or dying their hair or by hosting a fundraiser each November.

As someone who has undertaken the task of growing a moustache, or as I and many others call it, a ronnie, I have received plenty of slagging and jeers over the past 15 days.

What started off as a speck on my face has become a home for a ginger squirrel. My mother hates it and I fear she may throw me out and/or stop feeding me. But, as I take the slagging in my stride and weather the storm at home, one thought has crossed my mind on more than one occasion. It’s for a very worthy cause.

Of course, I alone will not change the mindset or attitudes of the male population but I’ve been struck at the growing rate of interest the Movember cause has grown. The growing participation has not only increased awareness but it appears to be slowly becoming the fashionable thing to do. Progress has been made but is it coming quickly enough?

As I sit at the keyboard in the year 2023, three out every four suicides in Ireland are men. I repeat, 2023, not 1823... So, although plenty of work has been done by organisations such as Movember, there are still men who aren’t taking the message on board.

Not only that, the fears and struggles many men experience are wide ranging but without question many are health related, the importance of a good friend who can encourage a man to get see his doctor can not be over-played. Over 32,500 people in Ireland have prostate cancer alone, but crucially survival of the illness is over 90% is spotted early. The cruel twist however is many men put it on the long finger creating further problems down the line.

As we know only too well on this earth, nobody can force another man to do anything, but if growing a questionable ’tache and making a spectacle out of myself encourages one person to get checked out or get the help they need, then I’ve done my job.

Crucially though, this is a team game. There’s no lecturing, no guilting. It’s all about having a laugh at our own expense and making causes that promote positive mental health widespread. Returning to times of old where cover our problems up can’t be tolerated. We have a climate emergency, a housing emergency and last but by no means least a mental health crisis and unless we unite, the problems that have niggled away at humanity prevail.

The world’s rapid speed and brutal nature means we must keep banging the health drum. It may be repetitive but it will never go out of tune.

As the Movember campaign states: "We are dying too young, we can’t afford to stay silent."