About the Anam Cara Fellowship

Based in Ireland, the Anam Cara Fellowship is a values-led spiritual community of people who believe in the importance of deep friendship, compassion, reflection, and meaningful connection.

We recognise the dignity, inner life, and deeper self, the soul-presence within each person, and we seek to support one another with empathy, kindness, respect, and gratitude, creating a safe and confidential space for reflection, personal growth, and shared understanding.

The Anam Cara Fellowship brings together people from diverse faith traditions, personal backgrounds, and life experiences, united by a commitment to ethical living, inner reflection, and the spirit of soul friendship. Through regular gatherings, meditation, reflective stillness, and conversation, we nurture:

·       Patience

·       Balance

·       Forgiveness

·       Honesty

and a genuine sense of care for ourselves, for one another, and for the world around us.

We strive to live our values in daily life, encouraging learning, listening, and shared wisdom as companions on the spiritual journey, supporting each person to grow, to feel a sense of belonging, and to know they are held within a compassionate community. 

The Meaning of Anam Cara

Celtic Wisdom, John O’Donohue (1997) 

The idea of the Anam Cara, the Soul Friend, has deep roots in Celtic spirituality. Writer and philosopher John O’Donohue described it in this way:

“In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara.

Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the “soul friend.”

In the early Celtic church, a person who acted as a teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life.

With the anam cara you could share your inner-most self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anam cara, your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the friend of your soul.”