Anthony Mullally, former Ireland rugby league player, has found solace in wild swimming following his retirement from professional sport. Mullally has founded rural retreats that focus on cold water exposure, breathwork and physical activities like jiu-jitsu to support male communities as they re-examine traditional models of masculinity. This work is complemented by Mullally’s role as a high-performance coach to athletes, including taekwondo’s Aaliyah Powell, who will compete for Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Mullally’s move towards promoting healthy concepts of masculinity came after a lull in his motivation following the pinnacle of his playing career when he won the Super League Grand Final in 2017 while playing for Leeds Rhinos. Feeling a void despite this achievement, Mullally sought help from a sports psychiatrist but found that for men, there is “a real fear of being weak”. Therefore, his retreats came from observing unhealthy behaviours in himself and others as he sought to redefine what it meant to be a man.
At one of the men’s retreats in North Yorkshire, twelve participants spent three days living in pared-back accommodation in the sprawling pine forests of the Camp Hill Estate, reconnecting with themselves and nature. The retreat includes a range of activities, from sharing personal stories around a fire circle to learning breathwork for emotional release and strengthening their physical relationship through jiu-jitsu. Mullally believes that the retreats are a space where men can redefine masculinity, exploring all elements and archetypes of being a man, including physical pursuits and creativity.
Mullally’s journey into breathwork and mindfulness began because he wanted to be seen as the tough guy and reframed his understanding of masculinity when he realised that he lacked positive male role models. He has established men’s retreats in Cornwall, Yorkshire, Spain and Sweden with partner Josh Bolding and is planning on taking them to California. Mullally’s wild swimming not only serves as a personal passion but also as a core tenet in his retreats, encouraging men to embrace vulnerability and redefine their understanding of masculinity
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