Jadehamillwashere

  Conal Montgomery’s ‘Corner Stone’ album launched at Pug Ugly’s, Belfast on 16th June. Doors opened at 8pm with a warm welcome from staff and customers alike as the performances showered the pub with an appreciation for country music. Support act Damien Hanna began his set at 9pm, taking audience requests which led to a barrage of Bon Jovi songs. Having requested ‘Living On A Prayer’ I was amazed at the quick and effortless response as he flowed into the song. 10pm saw the much awaited for Conal Montgomery take to the stage, bringing his album to life with his vocal and instrumental artistry.  Paying homage to his hometown Killyleagh, ‘Corner Stone’ is Conal’s second album. With deep, meaningful lyrics, each song is a staple to the everyday happenings of the village, detailing the people he has known.  Considering the nature of his music, ‘Corner Stone’ is an apt name that encapsulates the symbolism of the ceremonial stone sitting at The Central Bar, which serves to insc...

   Since its launch in 2015, AVA has amassed a following unlike any other having been named the best festival in Ireland. Friday 5th- Saturday 6th June saw sunshine return to the city with a buzz of excitement in the air as internationally renowned artists, Drum and bass extravaganzas and techno acts hit the stage. The main stage saw acts like electronic music duo, BICEP who commandeered the stage with their tension building beats which amassed in thousands jumping in ecstasy, throwing their hands up in the air and dancing freely because if there’s one thing to know about AVA festival, it’s that there’s no judgement. Everyone came together to immerse themselves in the experience, the glorious weather, the ultimate joy of dancing as a collective without repercussion. Over sixty artists played in a triad of venues, as there were four stages unique to the acts across Titanic Slipways, including the Main Stage, The Grasses, The Baltic and the Nomadic Stage. Founder Sarah McBriar w...

  Where does our obsession for white teeth come from? Charles Pincus in 1928 created custom veneers for Hollywood stars, including Shirley Temple. This may seem innocuous if not for the fact that Shirley Temple, a child was only pictured with a full set of custom-made teeth. Naturally, her baby teeth were falling out, yet to create the “perfect” image she had to adopt tooth caps to hide her missing teeth. (Image sourced from flagstaffdental) Television was only one mode for selling the perfect smile, in recent years influencers on social media have advertised cosmetic dentistry as a must. Cosmetic dentistry is one of the largest industries in the beauty industry, including teeth whitening which has seen a rise. “4 in 10 under 35’s had tooth whitening treatment with 48% planning to have them whitened within the next 12 months. 20% of British adults have had cosmetic dentistry with 1 in 10 having had treatment in the last 12 months” (Oral Health Foundation, 2020). Dental procedures...

Gazing at the iron railings that separate man and ocean the end of a livelihood becomes apparent. Hundreds of coats of paint are flaking away from the railings, rust replacing the handiwork of lighthouse keepers. The west lighthouse, Rathlin island was built into the cliff face between 1912-1917, the light unveiled in 1919. Three men staffed the lighthouse, each taking a different shift with the early morning watch starting at 4am. The keepers routinely manned the lighthouse, undertaking maintenance including the painting of the lighthouse and the railings. Approximately 160 people reside on Rathlin island today with the memory of the lighthouse keepers living on in the local community. The stories passed from generation to generation are not to be forgotten, as The Northword Storytagging project has brought storytellers like Alison McFaul to connect Rathlin’s history to the present, as seen in an extract from ‘The Lighthouse Kitchen Cupboards’: “And then with no-one left to care...

 I would like to say no snails were hurt in the making of this article, unfortunately that was not the case. Gary was a glorious beacon, a fashion forward snail of new heights. I had never seen such a splendid shell, adorned with flowers and colours that even the most stunning human could not wear, but Gary…he was something else. I had bought a painting set from Poundland prior to meeting Gary and the urge to use it came upon me suddenly and I knew that my backyard (a snail haven) would be the perfect place to create a work of art. After toing and froing, I could not think of any negatives to giving Gary a makeover, if anything he deserved it seeing as he had recently moved into my backyard. He deserved a housewarming gift, and I gave it to him. However, the makeover did not stop there. I have two roommates who after much convincing also took a paintbrush in hand and painted his friends, as Gary was a socialite. After painting his friends, we sat back, admiring our handiwork, a...

  *Trigger Warning* // I had never been so happy to have my friends fingers down my throat. Vomit drenched buckets testament to failure, but that’s just it; depression isn’t failure. // // Surely the purpose of epilepsy medication is to STOP seizures! Imagine my shock that the side effects of the medication included seizures and depression. Not only that, but it’s estimated that the lifetime prevalence of depression with epilepsy is as high as 55% 1 . Seeing as this is the case, why is nobody talking about it!? Having taken Lamictal, Trileptal, Gabitril and Sabril over a course of six years it hadn’t registered that my mental health was in decline, (after a seizure it’s expected to feel exhausted/sad). February 2020 changed that…the day I chugged 31 Lamictal pills. A friend entered my room finding my slumped form, the whites of my eyes frozen in place. I had never been so happy to have my friends fingers down my throat, as I vomited regret. A seizure ensued. I awakened in ...