Seán O'Riordan, PhD., is an American trained psychologist in the state of California. He began his education in the United States at San José City College, San José, California and at the University of California, Davis where he received a BA degree in psychology and history. He received an MA degree in marriage, family and child counseling from the University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California. He received his PhD in clinical psychology from the Western Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Palo Alto, California. His research was in anxiety and depression and his dissertation was in death anxiety and death depression.

     Dr. O'Riordan grew up in the southwestern area of Ireland in the fields of Tóbar ná Mult (Wethers Spring), Árd Fearta (Hill of the Grave), Ciarraí (descendants of Ciar), Coiced Muman (Land of the Mumu = tribe). It is a place that is protected by an Carn Tuatail (Carrantuachill) mountain in the Mac Gillycudy Reeks (Na Cruaca Duba) and an Aigéan Atlantic (Athlantic Ocean). A place where scoláirí bacta (poor scholars) flourished, Tiencéirí (Itinerants) lived, spailpíní (traveling laborers) roamed and caoinead (crying) helped the grieving during the wake. It is a place where the Túata de Danann (ground sprits) were respected for the growth of an Óg seamra (new grass or young clover) as the first growth of spring. An Óg seamra tells of that the earth will feed us one more time after the cold rain and the north sea winds of winter. The three leaves of the young clover represent the sun, moon, earth and the three circular journeys of the dead before entering an Tír na nOg (place of complete calm). It is a place where the goat was honored during the month of August to remind us of the coming of winter. It is a place where thousands of years of anonymous Gaelic sean (old Irish) poetry spoke of the suffering and the deprived. Like all of Ireland, it was a place of poverty where thousands died of starvation during an Ocrais na hÉireann (Irish Starvation).

     There were other families who lived in the area like Ó Ceallig (Kelly), Ó hUftuile (Hurley), Ó hAodagáin (Egan), Ó Dalaig (O'Daily), Ó Cingead (King), Ó Mórda (Moore), Ó hAongura (Hennessy), Ó Fionnacta (Finnerty), Ó Murcade (Murphy) and Mac an Gobann (Smith). When he was a child, he spent his days in the fields where a variety of crops were grown. His mind was rested during the long-days in the bog cutting the ancient delightful turf. He was most rested in the silence of the fields while "minding the cows," horses, sheep, goat and don't forget the pigs. Each field had its own name, own shades of green, own curve, own hill, own shadow and different colors of white daisies. Out from the ground he saw the water coming from the little spring that helped to cool the thirst of the animals and the birds.

     All the animals, plants and other elements contribute to the making of the Céilí Spirit. In the morning he saw the sparkle of dew on the bushes and grass. Along the river he saw the animals graze, he experienced the cold rain with the north-wind, the trees, the rocks, the weeds, different kinds of birds, bees, high in the sky the lark was singing and in the bushes the black-bird. The sky was full of different shapes of beautiful clouds. During the night he saw the reflection of the moon. In the natural beauty of the land, he experienced life and death living together and each morning waited for the sun to rise over the east mountain. In the minding of the cows there was no yesterday, no tomorrow or no today. It was a place of no movement and timeless in the presence of simplicity while listening to the wisdom of the cows eating the grass and chew the cud. The rolling hills were formed during the melting of the ice age as the glaciers moved towards the sea. There was no beginning or no end for time in the presence of the different animals and the natural smells and sounds. Artificial sprays were used to supress the natural human smells.

     The Ceili farming was divided by a river that seemed as wide and strong as the Missouri-Mississippi River. The most important way of the Ceili farming was to take care of the dying, digging the graves for a dead neighbor so the body of the person can return to the earth, and the spirits travels to an Tír na nOg (place of complete calm). Those who died at sea were identified by the tribe code of arms and mourned by wearing an Claddag (ring of mourning). The spirits of the land, rivers and the sea are the three central energies that contribute to the way of the Ceili spirit in healing the grief.

     When Dr. O’Riordan was about eleven years, he wanted out of the poverty of Ireland. All he saw was beggars, misery, domestic violence, child molesters, alcohol-abuse and alcohol-dependency from one poverty corner to the next. It was a place where the children of silently suffered in the national school (humiliation, shamed, physical assaults and mental abuse). He finally sough refuge in Wales, England and later America. He took with him the combination of emotional pain (post-traumatic stress) because of his frightening and brutal experiences. He was about 13 when he began working for other farmers to find his way out of Ireland. He began traveling at the age of 17 to over fifty countries from his native fields to Chiengmai along the Mae Nam Yon river west of Laos and east of Burma in the beauty of Thailand (via London, México, Saigon& Beijing). He traveled in the rocky boat from Dun Laogaire south of Baile Āta Cliat (Dublin) across an Muir Meann na hĒireann (Irish Sea) to Caergybi (Holyhead), Cymru (Wales) and the train to the city of London. He got a job in England at the Lyon's Tea's, Co., Ltd., Tottenham Court Rd., Oxford Circus, Soho, London. Adjusting to the city noises, smells and the English culture was difficult from the slow motion of minding the cows was different. The city had a variety of strange smells that was so different from that of the natural smells in the land. As soon as the summer arrived he was off to the outdoors working in construction for E. Taits, Ltd., builder and decorator, 180 Royal College St., London.

     He joined the Amateur Athletic Association of England and began running for the Queen's Park Harriers Athletic Club, London. Most of his long slow running was done in Hyde Park, Regent's Park (London Zoo), and his most favorite was in the beauty of the Parliament Hill Fields (via Essex, Sussex, Norwich, Liverpool, Camden Town, Kilbura or the beauty of Northumberland.). The short speed training was on the cinder 440 yard track, Paddington Recreation Grounds, Grantully Rd., London that had a banked cycling track that circled around it. The track is now a cricket pitch and has a plaque unveiled by the first four-minute miler, Roger Bannister, MD., to commemorate the fact that he used to train on that cinder-track while he was a medical student at St. Mary's Hospital.

     As soon as he had money saved he got a visa for the United States. He said good bye to the seven Celtic nations Mannin (Isle of Mann), Kernow (Carnwall,), Alba (Scotland), Breish (Brittany), Galicia (Na Geadna Fiadaina=Land of the Wild Geese), and the Valley of Madness, as well as the Cieli dancing and music. He sailed out from Cobh (Cove), to the Hudson River (Mahicanittuk) and stepped off the ship on to the Island of Manhattan, New York City. He passed Ellis Island (Kilshk) in the State of New Jersey, and Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island National Park (Minnissais). He is grateful to Milton (Dubby) Holt (1915-2007), Director of Athletics, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho who was his American sponsor in order to receive his visa. In the United States he got his first American job with the Rauland Corporation, 5600 W. Jarvis Ave., Chicago and a small apartment at 4263 W. Monrose Ave., Chicago. His education was equivalent to American elementary school level and he was determined to improve his English. He began to take a class at the Wilbur Wright College, Narragansett Ave., Chicago to improve his English and dropped out because he could not understand the teacher. He would spend his time reading the large American Sunday papers with the help of The American College Dictionary and studying geometry and other books of mathematics.

     When the summer arrived he was out working in construction for Barton & Co., Ltd., Chicago. He asked the American Amateur Athletic Union for permission to compete in the USA. His first athletic competition was at the Henry Crown Field House, University of Chicago (UOC). He trained with the people of the UOC who were coached by a Canadian Coach, Edward (Ted) Haydon (1912-1985), an immigrant from Saskatoon, Canada. Coach Ted Haydon was a social worker in his early days and volunteered to coach at the UOC. He became the inventor of American long distance running. He coached many international and American Olympic athletes like shot-putter Brian Oldfield, pole-vaulter Jan Johnson, hammer-thrower Jud Logan and 800 meter-runner Rick Wohihuter Coach Haydon had an informal coaching style that matched Dr. O'Riordan's Celtic approach to life. He had arrived in the land of everything. He moved to Los Angeles, worked in construction and began taking another English class at the Susan Miller Dorsey Adult School, Los Angeles City School District, 3537 Farmdale Ave., Los Angeles and again dropped out because he could not understand the teacher. He joined the Los Angeles Track Club which was coached by the Hungarian track coach Mihaly (Mike) Igloi who defected to the USA after finishing 4^th in 1,500 meters at the Melbourne Olympics. Mihaly coached Jim Beatty who was the first person to run the indoor mile under four minutes as well as many other American Olympic athletes.

     Dr. O'Riordan joined the US. Army and was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonia, Téxas, Fort Carson, Colorado and finally to the Fitz Simons Hospital, Denver. He ran his first marathon (42.19 kilometers or 26 miles and 385 yards) at Washington Park, Denver and set a new course record. The army sent him on to Asaka, Siatamia-ken, Japan. He worked in the army hospital as a psychiatric medic, dispatcher, ambulance driver and was often transported in the helicopters. He met great athletes in Japan such as Kimihara, Terasawa, Sato, Tusburaya and Japanese Olympic Marathon Coach, Hiroo Hatano (1933-2009). He also met many Japanese Families such as the Kamidate and Kihara Families. He got permission from the Nippon Rikujo-Kyogi Renmei (Japanese Amateur Athletic Federation), 25 Kannami-Cho, Shibuya-Ku, Tokyō, Japan to compete in Japanese athletic events from Sapporo marathon to Beppu Mainichi marathon (via the 10,000 meters race in the National Stadium, Manila, Republic of the Philippines).

     During his traveling around Japan he visited the injured of the atomic bomb in the Hiroshima Hospital and clinic. Besides running, he also climbed Mt. Fujii - a mountain of beauty and splendor - with Sato, Tusburaya, and Coach Miyashita. One can visit a Sengen Shrine on their way to the mountain. He enjoyed studying the Japanese language and culture. He found a lot of similarities between the way of the Shintō (the way of the spirits) living and the way of Celtic living. Both the Celtic and Shintō way honor nature like the Native-American's way.

     Kokichi Tsuburaya was a Second Lieutenant of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces (Rikujo Jieitai). He won the bronze medal in the Olympic marathon. In the 10,000 meters he finished 6^th behind the thunderstorm performance of Billy Mills an Oglala Lakota (Sioux) Native-American from the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota whose life-story was made into the film Running Brave. Mills was followed by Mohammed Gammoudi (Tunisia), Ron Clarke (Australia) world record holder, and the eastern Europe Leonid Ivanov (Russia). Kokichi died by suicide in the Physical Training School, Nerima ward, Asaka Camp, Asaka, Saitama-ken and the funeral service was held at the auditorium of the Ichigaya barricks, Tokyo. Kokichi was a sportsman, gentleman and Dr. O'Riordan's friend. Saying good bye to the beauty of Japan and the trust of the Japanese people was very difficult. The country and the people took good care of him with their kindness and patience. The sounds of the silence of the Japanese farm­land, smells, food, Japanese music, smiles, friends and most of all the athletes and coaches of Jieitai were missed.

     Dr. O'Riordan's first experience in psychology began in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Fitz Simons General Hospital, Denver, Colorado. He returned to Oakland Army Base, Oakland, California from Japan and began working for San José Hospital psychiatric, Alum Rock, San José area. He had the opportunity of experiencing the grand leadership of Florence S. Izumi, RN. She went on to become a Licensed Marriage Family Therapist (LMFT) and the clinical director of the Mental Health Program of Asian-Pacific & Indo-Chinese Mental Health Program & Asian-Americans for community involvement, San José, California. 

     He also met many other American families, including the Panighetti's, Mathew (Maitiú) families, Jesson (Los Gatos Psychologist), Lahti, Foston-English, Therese A. Rando, PhD., Sharon Jablon, PhD., Japanese speaker Ed Collins (Ó Coileáin), Menlo Park Chief of Police Gerald Mc Namara with a great sense of humor, researcher Sandi Tatmen, PhD., Patrick (Pádraig) Rice and Claire Fitz Gerald (Mac Gearailt), Hector Rojas (Chile), Ximena Zurita (Ecuador) and Pelusa that were helpful in his adjusting to the American culture.

     With the help of Bud Winter, track and field coach at California State University, San José he met American Olympic walker Tom Dooley, Olympic runners like Tommie Smith, John Carlos, Lee Evens and distance runners like Byron Lowrey. Byron introduced him to great running places in the ancient redwood forest of Big Basin Park, County Santa Cruz. In the Bay Area there are great running places like Peninsula Open Space, Muir Woods, Wunderlich Park and on the sand of the California beaches. His most favorite place was through the forest of Josephine & Frank Duveneck's 400 acres farm in the rolling hills west of Los Altos, County Santa Clara, California.

     He ran for the West Valley Track Club that had great runners like Bill Clark and Alvaro Mejia the Boston marathon winner and Olympian from Columbia. The club was lucky to have the brilliantly organized athlete, Jack Leydig. Dr. O'Riordan went on to set a new course record in the Seattle marathon, 7th in the Detroit marathon, twice ran the Petaluma marathon (7 & 10), and many other road races and cross-country runs (achieving 4th place in the 17 mile drive road race, Pebble Beach, Monterey County, California).

     He was introduced to psychological research while he worked as a subject (S) for Ames Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Moffett Field, Mountain View, California. The research experience got him interested in the study biology-psychology, neurological psychology and behavioral psychology. He began his education at San José City College, San José, California by studying American psychology. He met the American Olympic Coach, Bert Bonanno who helped him to achieve his best condition during the cross-country, track and field seasons. Coach Bonanno had a way to explore the ultimate abilities on ones academic and athletic achievements. Dr. O'Riordan was a member of the great cross-country team including Jim Allen, John Anderson, Jaime Baldovinos, Ken Cakebread, Eddie Leeper, Hurlon Luck, Rene Yco, Rich Santoro, and statistician Gary Kelmenson.

     At San José City College, Department of Photography, Dr O'Riordan was influenced by Edward Shuster in the art of black and white photography and by Linda Heiliger in the beauty of color photography. The English Department introduced him to great teachers like Linda Granberry, Frederick Beeman, Charles Hunter and Barkley Wheeler. The greatest of all English teachers was Nathalie Coleman with her patience as well as Anne Heffley. He went on to get his BA degree in psychology and history at University of California, Davis (via Hollingbery Field House, Washington State University). At UC Davis his professor of history, Stylianos Spyridakis, PhD (Greece) and from the Republic of China, Ni Chu Wiens, PhD were both fantastic with their patience, humor, dignity and joy of learning that they brought to the classroom. In psychology there were Kenneth Henry, PhD., Robert Murphey, PhD and William Dukes, PhD.

     When Dr. O’Riordan left the land of farming and construction work he entered the American culture of professional communications. He noticed how American english is spoken in a very direct manner with a lot of slang and focused towards the bottom-line. His style of communication was telling a story about the topic rather than responding with a yes or no or I. His meiteal (everyone helping) ways of communicating was more related to the process and reading between the lines rather than the content. For example, he would say words like we, they or “the house is with me” rather than “I own the house.” In professional meetings he noticed that the same people would verbally dominate the meetings and would speak over each other with little time for silence. Usually people would begin their sentence with “I feel,” or “I was struck by.” At the end of the meetings people seemed stressed and exhausted from the speed of the communication and not the topic that was discussed. It is a common understanding that silent means agreement. Sometimes he would present an idea at a meeting and it would be ignored. Another person would present the same idea and it would be accepted. As time went on he made many changes to get his message understood. One of the most challenging experiences for him was to fit his Celtic way of thinking into the American cultural belief system of individual psychotherapy. He began working at the Therapeutic Community (NOB), Stanford University Hospital inpatient psychiatry where he had the opportunity to work with George Gulevich, MD. He also learned from the leadership of the psychiatric-team led by Jean Bronstein, RN and the silence of the therapeutic cat. There were other great clinicians like Irvin Yalom, MD., who let the strength of his presence and the beauty of his silence fill the room with healing. Dr. Yalom seemed to let his mind rest and his heart do the talking as people were slowly making progress.

     One of the most challenging experiences for Dr. O'Riordan was to fit his Celtic way of thinking into the American cultural belief system of individual psychotherapy. At El Camino Hospital psychiatric department, Mountain View, he met Joy Shieman the great teacher of poetry-therapy and founder of Poetry Therapy who brought her wisdom and emotional understanding to the psychotic and depressed patients. In addition to Ms. Shieman's teaching there were teachers like John Antel, MD., hospice nurse O'Brian (O Briain) and the leadership of Patricia Perkins-Lundeen. Photograph of Casper the "psychiatric resident" cat by Canadian's best, Phyllis Kurpyta in Joy Shieman's book, Eating sour rhubarb beneath a cold moon: A book of American Haiku (2007). In his pre and post doctoral supervision he met American psychological supervisor Susan la Rue, LCSW., Judy Burkholder, LCSW., Bill Boyle, MA., MFT., Bill Seefeldt, PhD., Rosemarie Moore, PhD., and David Rasch, PhD. Most recent he began working with clinicians as a staff psychologist at Stanford University Help Center, Stanford, California.

      Dr. O’Riordan had fun learning about the American culture by attending the celebration of the national holidays such as July 4th barbe-quing. He had to get used to eating outside and going into the house to use the use the toilet. The toilet was the coldest room in the house during the summer and the warmest in the winter. Artificial sprays area used to suppress human smell. The fourth Thursday of November is another holiday called Thanksgiving-day since 1963. People cook all kinds of food such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberry, yam and stories of ancient America. There is also a cultural learning when one goes to an American home one is greeted by their dog at the door to pass the smell test.

     From the ancient Céilí fields of music, songs and dancing of Ireland to the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. O'Riordan is grateful for all the experience and teachers who have aided him with his education and professional development. He will continue his journey in exploring new ways in helping and healing people with their growth and development and other cultural exploration.