Ireland’s only mental health arts festival First Fortnight continues this week with a series of arts events aimed at challenging mental health prejudice and discrimination.
A diverse programme of events has been put together for the festival, culminating in The Big Gig with We Cut Corners, I Have a Tribe, Booka Brass Band and Le Galaxie at The Button Factory on Saturday night.
The festival continues with live music, film, theatre and visual arts events staged to create open discussion and understanding of mental health problems and challenge prejudice and discrimination.
The full line-up can be viewed at www.FirstFortnight.ie
Now in its sixth year, First Fortnight is centred around Dublin’s Temple Bar but will also host dance, theatre and film events in Galway, Wicklow, Laois, Limerick, Waterford and Kildare.
The 2015 First Fortnight festival is partnered by Mental Health Reform, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and See Change, the National Mental Health Stigma Reduction Partnership.
RTÉ TV and radio presenter Eoghan McDermott is an ambassador for the event and said that the event’s call to challenge mental health stigma “is something that really resonates with me”.
“Like many people, there have been times in the past when I’ve been depressed and unsure how to get better or who to turn to,” he said.
“I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t ask for help. I know what it’s like to be embarrassed by your own feelings, but I also know what it feels like to have that weight lifted off your shoulders by talking to someone. Talking helps. There is no shame in experiencing a mental health problem, it happens to a lot of us. I’m delighted to join the call of First Fortnight and all the great artists and acts taking part in this year’s festival to make 2015 the year when we end mental health stigma.”
First Fortnight co-founder and project manager JP Swaine said that this year was the festival’s “most interesting and provocative line up” and he hoped it would lead to new and interesting reasons for people to talk about mental health.
“Conversations started by ordinary people are the only way we can change the stigma and discrimination that persists in the area of mental health. First Fortnight hopes to inspire these conversations through provocative arts events. We are also really delighted that, despite being entirely run by volunteers, we have been able to bring festival events to seven different counties across Ireland this year.”
