EP Friday @8.30pm Locker Room Talk – Masculinity and Mental Health

Masculinity and Mental Health

Host: Tony Griffin

Panel: Colm Keegan (Poet, Writer), Jack McGrath (Ireland and Leinster Rugby Star), Diarmuid Lyng (Former Wexford Hurler Captain, Broadcaster), Michael Harding (Author, Playwright)

What are the issues closest to the hearts, bodies and minds of men in Ireland today?

Why are these issues kept under lock + key? What would it feel like to talk openly about the things that we feel uncomfortable talking about?

We live in an extreme patriarchal society that is increasingly pushing people to their limits, how is this affecting our men? Masculinity is being graded according to macho hardness, sexual prowess, status, money and power, how does this affect mental health? What is needed to create a society in which our men can express their true masculine power in a healthy way ? What are the rites of passage and initiations required to support men grow from childhood into adulthood in the best way possible? Who are the male role models in the world today? Why are so many men hurting right now and what are we going to do about it?

Tony Griffin

Tony Griffin is a husband and father. Born in County Clare he followed his passion for sport and played Hurling for Clare from 2000-2010 winning an All-Star award in 2006.

From 2004 to 2008 he commuted from Nova Scotia, Canada where he was studying Human Kinetics to Ireland to play Hurling. While in Canada his father died and this life changing event motivated him to cycle a bike 7000kms across Canada and Ireland, a journey that went on to raise €1.1 million for cancer research and care.

In 2011 he co-founded Soar which works to empower teenagers to thrive, believe in themselves and fulfill their potential. Soar has worked with 25,000 young people across Ireland.

Colm Keegan

Colm Keegan was shortlisted four times for the Hennessy XO New Irish Writing Award and was all Ireland Poetry Slam Champion 2010. His poetry collection, Don’t Go There, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim. In 2014 he was awarded a residency in The LexIcon, Ireland’s largest public library. He is a co-founder of Lingo, Dublin’s First Spoken Word festival. He also writes for television and his first play, For Saoirse, was staged in Axis Ballymun in 2016. His short play The Process was part of the 24hr plays this year in the Abbey Theatre.

Jack McGrath

Jack McGrath is an Ireland and Leinster Rugby star and Pieta House ambassador. McGrath, has seen his rugby career go from strength to strength, playing in all three test matches in this year’s British and Irish Lions tour in New Zealand. A prominent spokesperson for mental health issues, Jack’s sporting achievements combined with his openness in talking about traditionally “unmanly” topics make him an important role model for Irish men.

Diarmuid Lyng

Diarmuid Lyng is a former Wexford hurling captain, public speaker, media personality and founder of Facebook Free February. He was the subject of a documentary on RTE called the Geansaí and he appears regularly on TG4 and Radio na Gaelteachta.

He was worked in schools around the country with the Soar Foundation connecting young men and women with their purpose and this September he is rolling out a programme for teenagers encouraging them to explore their experience and understanding of masculinity, both in schools and in sports clubs.

He is behind Wild Irish Retreats, a collective that runs spiritual, cultural and well-being retreats. Their first retreat will take place this September on the Great Blasket Island in West Kerry.

Michael Harding

Michael Harding is an author and playwright. His creative chronicle of ordinary life in the Irish midlands is published as a weekly column in The Irish Times. He has written numerous plays for the Abbey Theatre, including Una Pooka, Misogynist and Sour Grapes, and has published three novels, Priest, The Trouble with Sarah Gullion and Bird in the Snow as well as three bestselling memoirs.