There is an Irish comedic duo who basically go around with plastic bags on their heads and pretend that they are very poor uneducated young lads from Limerick city in Ireland. It seems a bit mad, but they are actually really funny. More importantly though, they portray very important messages to the young people of Ireland. The first video here is a song they released a few years ago, which may not be to everyone's taste, as there is some bad language and rude gestures. But it's a good opener - let's start off light-hearted and then get serious!

If you do not like the video, I'd advise pressing stop, and continuing to the other videos I have posted further down, which I would really like people to watch. In these, one of the duo Blindboy Boatclub makes some very good points about some modern day issues, and in particular mental health issues in Ireland. I suspect this problem is rife not only in Ireland, but in every country around the world.

Funny song by the Rubberbandits called "Horse Outside"

Ok, so you may or may not have found that funny. We all have different senses of humour, but do take a look at these next video clips of Blindboy - he is a really interesting guy and you may learn something, I certainly did.

Mental Health

Here Blindboy highlights the fact that in Ireland the best mental health services are actually run by charities like Pieta House. This is a real problem here and our government should be spending a lot more money on mental health services, so that people don't have rely on charities, who in turn rely on funding through the generosity of the people who support these charities. We all pay our taxes, so we should expect that these services be properly funded.

He also makes a really good point about kids from the age of 3 and up being thought basic psychological tools to deal with stresses and emotions in their life. I'd absolutely agree with this, and it is as important as learning to cross the road. You could actually make the point that it is more important, because in Ireland in 2018, you are more likely to commit suicide, than to be killed on the road (2016 saw 162 road death vs 451 deaths by suicide) Yet, because this is an invisible risk, and was taboo for so long, we still don't have the correct structures in place for our young people.

His last point about being advertised to is also very striking, and I think what he says actually makes sense. His last comment can be taken as a joke, as I'm sure you all could see, he is after all a comedian.

Feminism

Here, Blindboy makes some really good points about feminism. I am not a feminism by any means, but Blindboy certainly made me rethink my definition of feminism, and I am more feminist than I thought, going by Blindboy's definition.

My Generation

Here Blindboy explains what his generation is faced within modern day Ireland, where a lot of the younger people of the country cannot afford to buy a house or have children and be able to provide for them.

Blindboy's Struggle with Mental Health

Here he goes into his own battle with anxiety and how he used and continues to use Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) everyday to stay well.

So, let's all be open about our mental health.

It is OK to be mentally unwell.

It is OK to be anxious.

It is OK to talk about it.

It is OK to ask for help.

Hopefully you enjoyed that post.

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