Ian Taylor Speaks to the Wolf Brothers

The Wolf Brothers began when Daryl and Cormac Noonan, two brothers, felt an urge to
share a message with other young men who were struggling in life. Having both gone down very different paths since leaving secondary school, the two brothers recently reunited to help others work through their pain and reignite their warrior spirit. Through the Wolf Brothers podcast they aim to interview other men about their personal journeys and how they’ve found meaning and purpose in their lives. Learn more.

Life is Fragile

Daryl’s own journey into manhood began at the age of 14. He was on the bus home from
school when disaster struck and the bus crashed, killing five girls, one of which Daryl was close friends with. Ever since this terrible accident, Daryl’s view on life changed. He came away physically unharmed but with a different understanding of how easily life could be taken away. He didn’t see any reason to plan for a future that was not guaranteed so instead he decided to only live for today – but not necessarily in the way most people would recommend.

Life can be Challenging

He went down a path of drug and alcohol abuse, chasing highs and never really giving a second thought to how his actions were affecting others. When things became too much at home he moved to Australia in the hope of starting fresh but what he learned is that no matter where he went, he always brought the same head with him. The same problems followed him everywhere as he never wanted to try to connect with his true feelings.

Thirteen years in total Daryl avoided facing up to his demons through his volatile behaviour. Eventually he hit what he describes as “rock bottom”, spending up to a
week isolated in a room engulfed in a haze of self pity. Daryl got to this point and realized it was either seek help or die this way, alone, ashamed, disgusted by who he was and what he had become.

The Road to Freedom

Daryl got himself in a treatment centre for what he decided would be the last time. He was finally willing to face his demons and start living a life with meaning and purpose. Beginning on the road to “freedom” was not easy and is still not easy to this day. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to change a lifetime of terrible habits. Daryl credits his family and close friends for their unconditional love and support as key factors in breaking free from his old ways.

Family is so Important

Daryl says “Brotherhood is one of the most important things to me. All family, all friends,
anyone who wants to be part of this pack is welcome. We’re all in this life together, let’s help each other along the way and let’s fucking enjoy it”

Finding True Meaning

Cormac’s journey was very different from his brother’s. Despite suffering with very low
confidence all through his teens, he did very well academically and was very driven to
succeed in his career from an early age. After graduating from Trinity College Dublin he went on to work for one of the world’s leading IT firms. Having finally thought he had achieved the success he’d always wanted, Cormac quickly realised that it lacked the fulfilment he had hoped it would bring.

Soon after he began his new job however, he met an amazing woman and fell in love. He then realised it was love, not success that he had always been searching for. Filled with a new sense of inner power and a passion for life, he began looking outside of himself for ways he could help others.

Vision Drives Activity

As he walked to work in Dublin city, he began to notice the suffering of people experiencing homelessness. He decided to try and help them so he skipped a ‘12 pubs of Christmas’ (a popular Irish tradition) and spent the money he would have spent on Guinness on buying pizzas. He brought along his best friend Martin Connolly and they spent the day walking around Dublin city, meeting with people on the streets and sharing pizza and conversation with them.

Pizza or an Ear

He soon realised they were almost more appreciative of the conversation than the food. This sparked an idea called Pizza Sunday Club – a gathering every Sunday where people shared pizza, music and conversation. Everyone would gather on Dublin’s Grafton street with the aim of creating a community between those experiencing homelessness and those who weren’t.

After two years of working to help those experiencing homelessness, Cormac started to become frustrated with the lack of any lasting change he was seeing in these people’s lives. He decided to step away and take time to think about how he could really make a difference. He also realised he had a lot of personal demons he wanted to deal with first.

Time to Change How we Teach

He moved to Canada for two years and began getting to know himself better. Cormac tried new ways of working and living. During his time away, Cormac realised that most of society’s problems stemmed from an outdated system of education. He also realised that self-education and self-understanding was what helped him push through difficult periods in his life.

Action is Needed

Cormac now has the urge to share this message with others and work to create a new system of education that empowered young people to get to know who they truly are. Upon his return to Ireland, Cormac teamed up with Daryl and they began providing talks to secondary schools about their own personal journeys.

They hoped sharing their experiences could potentially help others not make the same mistakes they did. Through Wolf Academy the two brothers aim to transform education in Ireland so that young people learn the tools they need to live happier and healthier lives and become their true selves. They also aim to create a place where young people can go after leaving secondary school in order to discover their unique gifts and decide what to do with them in order to make a difference in the world.

The Wolf Academy

Through Wolf Academy the two brothers aim to transform education in Ireland. Young people need to learn the tools they need to live happier and healthier lives and become their true selves. They also aim to create a place where young people can go after leaving secondary school in order to discover their unique gifts and decide what to do with them in order to make a difference in the world.

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