Our Story

Turas was founded in 2005 by Marian Sloane and Nora Donaghy.  Marian and Nora were both studying to be psychotherapists in Belfast and would travel up and down together. It was on these journeys that they discussed the lack of supports for people with an addiction in Dundalk and decided to take action.

Both had previous experience working in addiction in Northern Ireland and saw the need for a community based addiction service in Dundalk. Nora and Marian set up Turas (the Irish for “journey”) to meet this need and in the last 19 years it has taken its own journey of endurance, persistence and change.

From the early days, the programme was about accepting people, supporting them and helping them to explore their potential, and these core values remain the same today.

We now employ 16 people and offer 8 programmes to more than 450 people each year. But greater than Turas is the journey of the clients – the people using our service for help and support.

Addiction is a long and winding road for many people with relapse and set-backs normal. Turas’ vision, mission and values ensure we have never closed the door on anyone, no matter how many times they relapsed or came back for help.

We pride ourselves now on offering a range of unique and exceptional services including our community alcohol detox, men’s and women’s SMART recovery groups, outdoor therapy, sailing and a Recovery Cafe. Most of all we are delighted to offer people a warm, supportive and non-judgemental space where they can feel accepted and cared for enough to look at the root of their addiction.