Former Irish Rugby Player Finds Peace Through Meditation After Struggles with Addiction and Incarceration

‘I had no love for myself … now I have peace’: former Ireland rugby player Ryan Caldwell’s journey back from the edge

The retired second-row on his recovery from addiction, depression and incarceration to find a new life as a meditation teacher “Carefree,” says Ryan Caldwell when I ask him what word is tattooed across his fingers. He looks up from his hands on a rainy morning in Belfast. The former Ireland international, who played the role of enforcer for Ulster, Bath and Exeter, then laughs softly in acknowledgment of that incongruous word. We have spoken for almost two hours about a wide range of dark and...

By Donald McRae