Meet the former Irish prisoner who 'met Christ in a cell' and turned his life around

Anthony Breen, in an exclusive interview, has shared his story of addiction and incarceration and tells us how he managed to turn his life around.

Anthony is now the Lead Facilitator for Irish Red Cross Prison to Community Project and is an advocate for recovery and prison reform following his own battles.

Born in Limerick and raised in Cork, Anthony’s early life was shaped by violence, instability, and loss.

His father, a man caught in a cycle of violence and crime, and was largely absent in his life. He was raised by a single mother who did her best under difficult circumstances.

Anthony grew up in poverty, moving frequently and struggling with a deep sense of insecurity and emotional pain.

At just six years old, Anthony was placed in care, a traumatic experience that severed the strong bond he shared with his mother.

“I remember being taken away from her, crying in the back of the car, and feeling like my whole world had collapsed,” he said.

This event left a lasting scar on Anthony and led him to turn to alcohol and drugs in his teenage years to cope with his trauma.

What began as escapism quickly escalated into full-blown addiction.

Despite being academically gifted, his life became defined by chaos, violence, and repeated brushes with the law.

He described waking up with anxiety, not remembering the night before, and being riddled with shame and self-hate.

“I didn’t even like myself,” he said. “And when you don’t like who you are, it’s hard to care about anything.”

At 25, Anthony received a lengthy prison sentence. But instead of breaking him, prison became a turning point.

While in Portlaoise Prison, he started engaging with Irish Red Cross prison programme - an initiative focused on empowering prisoners through education, peer support, and health awareness.

It was here that Anthony began to rebuild and grow himself into the man he is today.

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He learned public speaking, peer education, and, perhaps most importantly, how to trust again.

Education reawakened his belief in his own potential and with support from facilitators, chaplains, and a mentor who visited him regularly, Anthony had hope and, for the first time, a sense of his own worth.

Faith also played a key role. “I met Christ in a prison cell,” he said. “Not in a church, not in a sermon - but through someone who  was there for me when I had nothing to give.”

His relationship with God helped him confront his past, forgive his father, and accept himself as someone worthy of healing. Upon release, Anthony didn’t stop his recovery journey - he enrolled in a 16-month program at Tiglin, where he confronted the root causes of his addiction and trauma.

There, he worked through his unresolved pain and embraced the hard work of personal transformation.

He completed the 9-month residential programme and the 7-month aftercare, during which he availed himself of the provided support.

Anthony has even visited South Africa where he shared his own journey to inspire other prisons several prisons around South Africa.

He is also giving back as the assistant house manager at Carraig Eden, putting all his skills to practice.

Today, Anthony works in the very criminal justice system that once held him and is an inspiration to those who have had similar experiences to him.

He has since reconciled with his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in six years, and he now speaks openly to inspire others who may feel trapped in cycles of pain and self-destruction.

“I used to feel like I was a number - now I know I have an identity, a purpose,” Anthony said.

His life is proof that with the right support, faith, and determination, anyone can walk the long way back to self discovery, realising who they truly are, and thriving.