It may sound radical, but countries such as Denmark have been doing it for years, he says. “Klassens time” is a mandatory part of the school curriculum where children can seek advice from peers, learn empathy, conflict resolution and strengthen their relationships and sense of community. It has found that children who grow up to become confident, emotionally intelligent adults are more likely to raise happier kids themselves. Coincidence or not, Denmark is consistently ranked highly as one of the happiest places to live. Ar an mbealach seo, is gné fíor-riachtanach íéisteacht ionbhá caidreamh a dhéanamh i gceart agus go héifeachtúil lenár dtimpeallacht: agus muid ag déileáil leis na daoine timpeall orainn agus freisin le foghlaim ónár gcuid botún agus muid ag idirghníomhú leis an gcuid eile den tsochaí, athmhachnamh a dhéanamh ar ár dtuairim agus feabhsú mar dhaoine. Being in a rehearsal room and reading, talking about these characters; and talking about why they may behave like that. And never judging, because if you judge a character you’re f**ked. The whole thing collapses.”

Murphy’s sons, Malachy and Aran, are now in their teens, and in Ionbhá he writes in his own essay, “On Connection”, that “raising boys in this world is difficult. You do everything in your power to avoid raising proto-bullies or proto-misogynists, to avoid all the evil tropes of masculinity we are confronted by every day.” Is empathy a more feminine thing? “There probably is some pre-judging there about boys and girls, but I just think that if you’re around it, and exposed to it, and that muscle is exercised, then I think there should be no difference.” That said, he believes that “schools should be mixed... I don’t know why you would have boys and girls in separate schools. I went to an all-boys school all the way up, but it just seems insane to me. My boys have gone to mixed schools, and I think it’s been really beneficial for them.” Ionbhá is a sweet-minded book of essays featuring teachers, youth workers and sportspeople, plus creative figures such as The Edge and Murphy himself. But what is empathy? The word only entered the English language in 1908, a translation from the German Einfühlung, which means “feeling into” – and “I think that perfectly describes it”, says the actor. “It’s different to sympathy; it’s adjacent to kindness.” Sympathy, he explains, “is about adding your own sorrow or your own pity onto the other – whereas empathy is where you sit and listen with someone, and you absorb what the person is feeling… And then you’re compelled to take an empathetic action. And that’s when I think it’s at its most powerful. So it isn’t just talk – it’s action. His steely glare captivated viewers as gang boss Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders. It’s a murky world where Cillian Murphy’s on-screen character succeeds by using violence as well as cunning to get by — not to mention the razor blades sewn into his flatcap. But when I meet him at a neighbourhood cafe in Monkstown, Co Dublin on a bright autumnal afternoon it’s all warm smiles and handshakes. He knows the owner, who leads us to a quiet mezzanine upstairs for our interview. Ionbhá or empathy is a core element of wisdom and a universal language of the soul. It brings joy to the everyday, making the unbearable bearable. 'We need empathy in schools just as we need empathy in the world right now' - Cillian Murphy, Actor and Patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre.That’s where I discovered drama. We did a drama module with Pat Kiernan from Corcadorca. That year for me was hugely formative. We took a pause [between exam years] which was brilliant. I think transition year — both my boys just went through it — is fantastic. It shouldn’t be like, junior cycle, senior cycle, third level, straight into exams again. I think that’s insane,” he says. Murphy, who agreed to become patron for the centre, says he was initially unsure how to define empathy, or how to locate it in a practical way in his life. Slowly, he says, he began to realise that empathy was a fundamental part of his job as an actor — and as a dad.

Dá bhrí sin, tugann ionbhá le tuiscint ní amháin meastacháin réasúnta cruinn a dhéanamh faoi na rudaí a mhothaíonn daoine eile, ach freisin dearcadh cuiditheach a ghlacadh i leith na réaltachta síceolaíochta sin a fheicimid i measc daoine eile, ag lorg pointí ceangail idir ár gcuid féin agus tuairimí na ndaoine sin. Ligeann an cumas seo dúinn muid féin a chur in áit ár n-idirghabhálaí agus anailís dhomhain a dhéanamh ar a n-intinn agus ar a riachtanais, chomh maith lena réaltacht mhothúchánach inmheánach: an fhulaingt nó an frustrachas a d’fhéadfadh a bheith acu, na rudaí a bhfuil spéis acu iontu, a gcuid inspreagadh, cad a chuireann muinín iontu, srl. . I think sometimes Irish people are a little afraid of emotion. And I think I was probably saved from that by acting. Because it’s all about connecting with emotions.” As a manager and a coach I have delivered messages to young talented athletes which has, at the very least, disrupted their dreams – that they may have progressed as far as they can go in their chosen sport at this time; a question mark for some, a full stop for others. I have often been as devastated in delivering that verdict and they have been in receiving it... But empathy gives you the confidence to communicate the truth to them that disappointment in one area of life need not diminish the self; that personhood is resilient and strong if nurtured well and supported consistently.” Rory O’Neill, AKA Panti Bliss

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We are conscious that this Christmas will be particularly hard for many: those who of us lost loved ones during Covid, our new Ukrainian community celebrating their first Christmas away from their homeland, the staggering number of children and families now homeless and many other groups in dire need. Dolan’s team at University of Galway has been rolling out empathy education in more than 100 secondary schools, youth club settings and Garda diversion projects for a few years. Activating Social Empathy is a 12-week programme specifically designed for post-primary school students. By understanding, feeling and identifying my emotions I then began to calmly and safely identify the emotions of others. I’d do it mindfully. The wrinkle of a smile. The raise of an eyebrow in surprise. The furrow of disappointment. The forced teethy smile that masks discomfort. I didn’t view other people through the threatening lens of fear that a state of anxiety demands.” Charlotte Silke and Bernadine Brady, academics at University of Galway’s Unesco Child and Family Centre Ionbhá or empathy is a core element of wisdom and a universal language of the soul. It brings joy to the everyday, making the unbearable bearable. 'We need empathy in schools just as we need empathy in the world right now' - Cillian Murphy, Actor and Patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre. Food binds us together and is essential for life, both physical and social. The recent inability to touch, or hug, or to share bread together due to Covid-19 has highlighted, with an ever brighter intensity, the importance of these human connections. Interactions once tactile and exuberant are now fraught and fragile.” Tolü Makay, singer, actor and mental health advocate

Christmas will be particularly poignant for many of us this year, not just in Ireland but around the world. As we move away with some relief from the restricted Christmases of recent years to a freedom to socially mix and celebrate the season, we also need to think of the plight of others. The wide range of contributions to the publication Ionbhá act like a compass, guiding us on things that really matter in life. Reflections on empathy illuminate its healing properties, vividly opening our eyes to the countless ways in which its power can shape us all. This collection shows that no matter how big or small, empathetic actions have a massive impact. Although we rarely appreciate how these actions affect people and their communities, they often reverberate long after we act. As part of this initiative, Ionbhá: The Empathy Book for Ireland, has been published to support the project. It's a book of over 80 essays, prose and poetry reflections on empathy from both famous and everyday citizens and reminds us that acts of kindness and compassion, no matter how big or small, have massive impact. This seaside suburb has been his home for about seven years, where he lives with his wife Yvonne McGuinness, an artist, and his two teenage sons. It is clearly a place he seems at ease. He lives a private and, by his own admission, “boring” life here, playing music, reading and hanging out at home. Murphy (46) rarely does interviews outside of film projects — but there is one area where he has decided to use his platform to campaign for change.We need an empathy revolution,” says Murphy. “We’d like to get people talking about it, to get it into the vernacular, for it become a topic of conversation, and for people to become interested in it.”

Technology Adoption in Cacao Farms in San Vicente De Chucuri, Santander: The Role of Cadmium Regulations Simple practices – like parents asking their children to think about how the child they just fought with feels – or being around people who show empathy to others can make a huge difference in nurturing empathy. For all of us, it may be worth reflecting on our own ‘empathy maps’, thinking about how we can extend our boundaries to bring more people into the high empathy zone...” Hozier, singer and songwriter The way civic society is going — not just in this country, but globally — we’re going to be dependent on empathy. Take climate challenge or social justice of any shape or form... it’s vital — Prof Pat DolanIonbhá: The Empathy Book for Ireland is' edited by Pat Dolan, Cillian Murphy, Gillian Browne and Mark Brennan, and comprises over 80 contributions from mostly well-known Irish names on empathy. It is published by Mercier Press on October 6. Empathy is not sympathy, it’s totally different. Empathy is the capacity to get into somebody else’s shoes and understand where they’re coming from. You can have cognitive empathy, and that’s where you understand what someone else is feeling, and that’s great, but affective empathy is where you actually feel what the person really feels.