Anam Cara

Anam Cara is the old gaelic term for "soul friend." anam meaning soul and cara meaning friend.

Anam Ċara is the title of a 1997 bestseller on "Celtic spirituality", the first publication by Irish author and then-priest John O'Donohue. According to O'Donohue, the Irish term anam cara (lit. "soul-friend") originates in Irish monasticism, where it was applied to a monk's spiritual advisor.

The book was an international bestseller and catapulted the author to public notability, as an author and much sought-after speaker and teacher, particularly in the United States. O'Donohue left the priesthood in 2000. As O'Donohue puts it: The term is greatly misconstrued to mean "soul mate", anam meaning soul and cara meaning friend.