NIC RYAN-PURCELL. Remember the name. You will hear a lot more of it in the years to come.

The 29-year-old – he celebrated his birthday this month – is originally from the village of Emly in Co Tipperary and he and his family are not unknown in thoroughbred and hunting circles. His father Oliver loves his hunting and comes from the same Duhallow background as myself. Indeed, as a child I played tennis with his family.

On his mother’s side of the family tree, his grandmother Nancy Riggs-Miller was a well-known breeder and a horse she bred, Bit Of A Skite, was trained by Edward O’Grady for JP McManus and won the 1983 National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham. That said, Nic himself is not a horseman.

He is a talented filmmaker and he received many plaudits for his documentary about another Tipperary star, the globetrotting Gordon Lord Byron. His first encounter with the horse, of whom he was terrified in advance, has helped to ease his anxiety arounds such animals. When he went to GLB in the stable the horse, instinctively it seems, nuzzled Nic and there was an instant bonding.

Many people have played pivotal roles in the life of Nic, and two that he was keen to mention when we met are GLB’s trainer Tom Hogan, and Mary Cahalan, matriarch of the family who owned the horse from day one. Building bonds with people is important to Nic, and the traffic in that area is always two-way.

At this point, you, the readers, are probably wondering – what has all of this got to do with a health column?

My first meeting with Nic was less than two weeks ago after I was encouraged by a number of people to go and see the latest documentary work by him. I travelled to Dun Laoghaire with an uneasy sense. The film is called This is Nicholas – Living with Autism and the title was perhaps contributing to my feelings of reservation. How wrong was I?

This is 52 minutes that each and every one should be obliged to go and watch. Yes, it chronicles not only the personal journey of Nic who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome, but it also tells of his battle for many years with depression, something that changed radically for the better when, in 2016, he met with Charles Maguire who teaches Buteyko Breath Therapy in Bantry, West Cork.

This is a film that will teach many about a subject of which they are largely ignorant, give viewers some insight into the world of autism and depression, but ultimately will send you away with a good feeling. Every child in a second- and third-level educational establishment should have to watch this work.

Nic grew up with a feeling that people didn’t understand him. He had and has a very supportive network of family, mentors and friends and, while loathe to single out individuals, his mother emerges from the film as a true heroine. She is truly Nic’s rock and his guardian angel.

Making the film was a challenge for Nic, especially when it came to recreating what brought about his depression. Having come close to taking his own life at the age of just 17, going back to those times was hard. Nonetheless this journey also helped Nic to understand what had caused this damaging impact on his mind, being followed about by what he describes as ‘ghastly black figures.’

The sudden death of a local man, John Joe McGrath, a man who collected him from school every day and dropped him home, had a devastating effect on the then 10-year-old. Never speaking about it at the time, being shy by nature, he finally was able to identify the cause of his problems and deal with them when it came to making this documentary.

After seeing the film, I met Nic to delve further into his life, work and his hopes. The positivity he radiates needs to be experienced to be understood. Having had the privilege of spending this time with him, I felt that my own life was enhanced. Nic is a remarkable man, wholly unaware of his own special qualities.

He does have a very simple view of himself. “I feel my life purpose is to help people,” is quite a statement to make, and quite something to live up to. Nic will do it as he has an empathy that most people only wish for.

Penning 800 words here is not enough to do justice to the story, so far, of Nic Ryan-Purcell. A visit in the coming weeks to any of the screenings of This is Nicholas – Living with Autism will help you to understand more about autism, depression and life.

Start 2019 off in a positive way – you will be all the better for doing so.

SCREENING DATES

This is Nicholas – Living with Autism will screen in the coming weeks at the following venues:

IMC Cinema Galway January 28th

Gate Cinema Cork January 29th

Nenagh Cinema Tipperary February 6th

Leixlip Library Kildare February 7th

IMC Cinema Carlow February 13th

London Filmmaker Festival February 21st

IMC Cinema Santry, Dublin February 26th

IMC Cinema Dundalk, Louth February 27th

IMC Cinema Tallaght, Dublin February 28th

IMC Cinema Mullingar, Westmeath March 4th

Further dates will be added and details can be found on the Facebook page dedicated to the film, on Nicholas Ryan Purcell Productions page or on Nic’s own personal Facebook page. If you know of a cinema or venue which would like to show the movie, contact Nic at nryanpurcell@gmail.com