First Fortnight CEO Maria Fleming: "We want to normalise having conversations about mental health"

As the holiday season ends, the First Fortnight Festival offers a warm and enlightening experience, providing hope for those struggling in January’s cold embrace.

Now entering its thirteenth year, the array of unique events intertwines arts and mental health awareness.

The timing of the festival is strategic, with First Fortnight CEO Maria Fleming noting that the beginning of the year can be a particularly challenging period for many.

“Christmas can be great, but if somebody struggles in their relationship with their family, then it can be further isolating for them,” Maria explains. “It’s physically dark, the days are shorter. There’s also this pressure around January with resolutions and sentiments in the media like ‘new year, new you’”.

Maria explains that one of the festival’s main goals is to combat the misrepresentation of mental illness in the arts.

“We work with artists to ensure representations of mental health are fair, balanced and accurate, so we're not further isolating anybody,” she says. “In the arts, schizophrenia is often wrongly confused with multiple personality disorder for example. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, leading to more fear and stigma around mental health.”

Accessibility is at the festival’s core, with Maria proudly speaking of their efforts to be inclusive.

“There’s something for everybody,” she notes. “We want to ensure that there are as few barriers as possible in participating with and attending the festival.

“Approximately 60% of our events are free, while the highest ticket price is €25. We try to include as many alcohol-free events as we can, and there’s a brochure on the website for people on the spectrum who require additional information.

“We have events for adults, children and families, which you can either participate in or sit and watch on your own or with friends.”

Contributors to First Fortnight Mental Health Art and Culture Festival 2023 at Project Arts Centre, Dublin. Pictured (l to r); Helen Delany (Electronic Sheep), Brenda Aherne (Electronic Sheep). Photograph: Leon Farrell.

This atmosphere of inclusivity has expanded this year, with First Fortnight spreading its wings beyond Dublin.

“We have a lot of events in Kildare, Donegal, Limerick, Belfast, Cork and Wexford so hopefully we're reaching further out into the population,” Maria resumes. “This year we've tried to be a bit more strategic by creating mini-festivals around the country so people can get that ‘festival feel’. We've also tried to identify regions that don't necessarily always get a lot of provision.”

The shows themselves provide a blend of arts, discussion and community involvement.

While she refuses to pick favourites, Maria highlights We’ll All Still Be Here in Dublin’s Smock Alley Theatre on January 14, which features improvised music combined with audience participation.

“It's a collection of musicians playing across several hours,” she enthuses. “They go into different movements every hour and in the centre of the stage is a microphone for the audience to come up and speak while they’re performing.

“Somebody might come up and read a poem, speak of a reoccurring dream or about their mental health. I’d encourage people to come along and stay for an hour, but if you want to stay for 10 minutes, go away and come back again, then the clue is in the title, we'll all still be here!”

Another notable event is Nollaig na mBan (or Women’s Christmas), a day-long celebration on January 6 focusing on women's mental health, and including panel discussions, sea swimming and performances by the immensely talented Irish Women In Harmony collective.

Irish Women In Harmony at Electric Picnic 2023. Copyright Liam Murphy.

“Recently there's been a number of studies looking at the provision of services for women experiencing mental ill health in Ireland,” says Maria. “We want to look at the outcomes of that research as well as the positive initiatives that are happening and how things are improving for women's mental health.”

“Lots of people, particularly during lockdown, turned to the sea for their mental health,” she continues. “We’ll be chatting to two fantastic women, Claire Walsh and Ruth Fitzmaurice, who went to the sea and wrote books about the experience.

“That evening, we’re delighted to have Irish Women In Harmony in Smock Alley for a celebration of women and mental health. That'll be MCed by the hilarious comedian Sharon Mannion. We’ll also have Louise Neelan reading from her novel Snowflake, which is UNESCO's One City, One Book for 2024.”

First Fortnight’s work doesn’t end in January. A cornerstone of the organisation is a year-round emphasis on creative art therapies – which, according to Maria, can be beneficial for people who find more traditional speaking therapy difficult.

“We provide creative art therapy for children, adolescents and adults who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness,” she explains. “Traditional talk therapy won't suit everyone. Some people find it easier to communicate through art, music or drama.

“We work with some fantastic therapists who are all IACAT-accredited, and we're delighted to be supported by the HSE and the Arts Council for both our creative art therapy and our festival.

“The year-round activity connects perfectly with the festival that we're doing at the start of the year.”

First Fortnight Festival runs from 5-27 January 2024. Visit www.firstfortnight.ie for more information on events, scheduling, ticketing and more.