Sin Scéal Eile

Ray is a professional artist. His work can be seen on the streets of Belfast, in galleries, and on t-shirts and hats in his own merch store. He’s a shrewd business person as well as an avid cultural commentator. His work is topical and witty. He’s been in the game long enough to remember when painting illegally meant your work might be painted over within hours and you also might get arrested for it. He’s grateful that things have changed significantly in cities like Belfast, where the council now appreciates, respects and even commissions street artists.  xR

Shannon is a ceasefire baby. She’s also a young mother who has been loving the craic of the Belfast fleadh, hearing people speaking Irish and playing trad in the streets. Shannon is incredibly proud of her Irish heritage but she is also excited to bring up her son as part of a mixed family, knowing that he’ll learn from both her and her partner’s culture. xT

Jonathan is a pal of mine who has one of those jobs that I’ll never really understand, though today I try my hardest. He’s got a PHD, he’s written theorems, and he lectures in Queens University. I love hearing his perspective on growing up in a Protestant area of Co. Antrim. His ongoing struggles with his national identity, as well as coming into his own identity (and his coming out story).xR

Azean welcomed us to her gorgeous home. It’s decorated so precisely and so minimalistically, there’s a feeling of space, serenity and peace. This is the space she now calls home, after many years of moving, sometimes couch surfing and sometimes moving when she wasn't really willing to move. She is originally from Singapore, but speaks with a beautiful Northern Irish lilt. In the last year alone, since she bought her home, her sanctuary, she has come into her own. She’s trying new careers, new hobbies and is finally allowed to rediscover her faith and herself.xR

Blezzing is an extraordinary young woman who has stayed strong and faced down so many challenges in her life. She suffers from chronic illness, and in turn has experienced medical misogyny and racism. Instead of letting them get the better of her, she’s become an intersectional, mental health activist, helping so many others.xR

Niamh has lived a few lives. From working in tech, to relaunching herself with a masters degree in art in her 30s. She’s now living in Belfast and utterly feels the buzz of the place. Her heart is leading her into a brand new passion, astrology. She tells me about all the different types of astrology practice, it’s ancient roots and how she might go about reading a birth chart.xR

Lucy runs a wonderful business where she helps people and companies live their best lives. There’s absolutely no way I can describe her job and do it justice, but it really is so fascinating. Why do we have to wait for a massive health scare or the like for us to realise that “this is not a rehearsal?” Lucy will help you live the life you want and need.

In the middle of the fleadh we popped over to Emma's lovely house for a cup of tea. She has a dream home, beautiful dog and the kind of job that makes you feel like you're doing something worthwhile. She describes her role as kind of a matchmaker for activists to find good lawyers (I'm definitely paraphrasing here).