I am very grateful to have been a part of an extremely powerful project ‘The Volunteers’ formulated by the knowledgeable and passionate Joe Caslin. To be asked to be a part of the drawing with Éanna Walsh was a true honour.
I am a twenty year old student who has thankfully never suffered from any mental health problems, but have witnessed and heard about too many others who have gone through deep struggle, especially amongst society’s youth. In 2013, as clichéd as it sounds I learned that life has to be grabbed by the throat and every day has to be lived to the fullest seeking the positives as much as possible.
My eyes only opened to this when one of my best friends Donal Walsh passed away after battling against cancer a gruesome three times before passing away on the 12th May, 2013. As a young boy myself, I didn’t fully appreciate the enormity of the situation but weeks after I wondered how Donal managed to never let cancer take over his whole life or define who he was.
Growing up I had a carefree childhood, but the most important things to me always were family, friends and sport. Family and friends are very important in my eyes. Being surrounded by people from a young age who accept you for who you are, care for you, help you when you need it, people who see your potential and want you to be the best you can possibly be… these are the people who shape and mould the person you are today. So I feel I am lucky and must never take my family or friends for granted.
Sport plays an essential role in my life. It not only improves my physical health, I know it also boosts my mental power but it also has taught me to accept the losses as well as the victories, which I feel can certainly be applied to everyday life as well. It’s also amazing what a few footballs, goalposts and a kick about with friends can do to help clear the head.
Joe Caslin cleverly used the 1916 Rising as the theme for this particular project ‘The Volunteers’. He reminds us all how important it is to contribute towards one another and to be aware of the more important values in life.
Getting the opportunity to work with Joe and Éanna was incredible. Joe’s talent of being able to highlight serious issues within society, through unbelievable eye-catching pieces of art is something very rare and unique. His use of the 1916 Rising theme for this particular project ‘The Volunteers’ reminds us all how important volunteering – offering a service without pay – is in today’s society. The leaders of the ‘Rising’ volunteered to fight in order to get the Republic of Ireland we have today. Essentially the people of Ireland today must try contribute more emotionally and physically in order to make our society and the communities of Ireland less pressurised and less stressful environments for us to co-exist in.
Read Joe Caslin’s reason for creating ‘The Volunteers’ and the deeper meaning behind it here.
Read Éanna Walsh’s experience of being a part of ‘The Volunteers’ here.
‘The Volunteers’ by Joe Caslin is a powerful new collaborative multimedia piece of public art and film, the second of a three-part series highlighting the importance of volunteerism in tackling some of Ireland’s most pressing issues: drug addiction, mental health, and direct provision. The project reflects upon Ireland’s century of progress, and asks us what battles we must fight in the present to remake the country for the better. Read about Joe Caslin’s first part of this series focussing on drug addicition here.
This piece of cultural commentary features Cormac Coffey, a twenty year old advocate of volunteering and Gaelic Athletic Association athlete, and Éanna Walsh, a twenty-eight year old man who in 2014 was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This piece attempts to humanise the complex narratives around mental health and mental health care, placing treatment as a health issue and not an offense to be shamed and hidden away. The Volunteers is about the preciousness of life, and the ways we betray it, as well as the ways that we honour it with our time, passion, and attention. Drawing from the example of the 1916 Volunteers, who made their lives offerings for a new world, this piece looks at those who offer themselves to transform their country in a different way, today. All photographs were taken by Gavin Leane.
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