About Orla Marie
A thirty-year Turas.
One sacred calling.
Your Anam Chara—a soul friend rooted in the thin places of Donegal. Guiding you home to yourself.
My Story
A pilgrimage through the thin places
My journey has been a thirty-year Turas—a guided pilgrimage through the inner and outer landscapes of the soul. From discovering a simple book on meditation which belonged to my father at sixteen to walking the ancient stations of the Inishowen Peninsula, my practice is a continuous circle of return and renewal.
I grew up in Donegal's thin places—those thresholds where the veil between worlds grows thin and the ordinary becomes sacred. The earthy scent of damp moss, the raw energy of the Atlantic, the stillness at ancient standing stones. These landscapes taught me that peace isn't something we find—it's something we return to.
Now I guide others to their own internal thin place. In a world of disconnected algorithms, I offer the ancient Irish tradition of the Anam Chara—a soul friend who walks beside you. My purpose is to help you build your own architecture of resilience, rooted in three thousand years of heritage and thirty years of practice.
“I guide you to the threshold—you step through.”
Qualifications
Training & Experience
Creative Mindfulness Ireland
Certified practitioner bringing creativity and imagination into mindfulness practice, helping clients discover their own unique path to presence.
Psychotherapy Background
Trained in psychotherapy at the University of Manchester, bringing a deep understanding of the therapeutic relationship to mindfulness practice.
Kids Mindfulness
Specialised training in teaching mindfulness to children and adolescents, with age-appropriate techniques for developing attention and emotional regulation.
500+ Teaching Hours
Extensive experience across group classes, workshops, corporate programmes, and one-to-one coaching sessions throughout Ireland and online.
Your Anam Chara
The ancient Irish tradition of the soul friend—human-guided presence that walks beside you, offering a circular approach to mindfulness where there are no corners for worry to hide.
Working with Orla transformed my relationship with stress. Her approach is grounded, practical, and free from jargon. Six months later, I'm sleeping better and handling work pressure with much more ease.
Michael O'Connor
Cork, Ireland
Begin Your Journey
Ready to find your thin place?
Whether you seek a threshold to stillness, relief from the weight of worry, or simply a soul friend to walk beside you—I'm here.
