Jadehamillwashere

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 ...

  A face-to-face interview with a member of the mafia in 1993, Mr M’s services were no longer required in 2002. The following details a man suspected of- though never charged with crime. // “I’ve had a knife to the throat”. //                                     How did Mr M become a member of the mafia? //Leaving the Navy at 21, Mr M found himself in search of a job in the Marine Engineering Unions. Little did he know a single read of the newspaper would change his life. In 1988 an advertised job for trainee croupiers caught his attention and soon after Mr M was working in South Africa and America. After three years abroad he arrived back to his hometown in England attending an interview in London with a company called Casinos Austria. He got the job and in 1992 moved to Russia. Over the 18 years at Ca...