Laryngitis

So I haven't done a blog post since May, 2014. Blogging, and writing in general, is

one of those weird things that while you enjoy it, it can also become a task, and sometimes even a punishment. 

So I took a little break, which became many many months. I've started writing again because I feel like we are at a turning point in Irish life. With the upcoming Marriage Equality referendum only months away, I feel like now more than ever I need to get my voice back. I need to add my voice to this discussing. Because I have a voice. 

I am not the only person to get my voice back it seems. Over the past months I feel the Irish public has regained its voice. Whether it's people protesting Irish Water, or Trans citizen looking to be recognised, or women looking for the rights of their own bodies. They have a voice. 

We have been dormant for too long. We have had a bad case of laryngitis. And now the honey and lemon has worked, and we have our voice back. 

So this is my return to the world of blogging, I'll still be posting about my interests (fashion, design, music) but also the every day, what I see around me, what I'd like to see change. What I myself what to help change. 

I have my voice back. 

DRN 

The Riverfest

Yesterday I got the chance to check out the Limerick Riverfest, it's an annual event held every year in Limerick, and this year it was a much bigger event due to Limerick also being this year's City of Culture. 

Another highlight was the chance to check out Kilkenny photographers Richard Mosse. Both his large scale photographs and his film piece, The Enclave, have been in Limerick as part of the City of Culture. 

Finally we finished the day checking out the BBQ festival. It was great to see such a variety of foods and different cultures on offer. 

Nice to see Limerick emerging as an exciting city again. Lots going on for the City of Culture and many more events planned for the summer months. 

DRN 

Back with a WHAM Bang!

After being quite for far too long I am making my return to the blog. 

If anyone reading this has tried keeping their own blog they'll know the struggles that come along with it. A blog is meant to be something fun and exciting but sometimes it can feel like a task rather than a fun pastime.

So instead of setting myself deadline like I used to in the past, I'll just be blogging about things that excite me and that I want to share with my readers. That might be daily, or just once a month. 

So I'm not gonna promise that I won't go quite again. But I can say that I'm invigorated and I've a lot of exciting projects coming up that I'm looking forward to sharing who you guys. 

DRN 

PS check out my new home office

A Kidd's Guide!

This arrived in the Post today and I couldn't be happier. I've been a big fan of Chip Kidd's work for a while after seeing his talk at OFFSET. 

When it comes to graphic design you can never stop learning, and as technology is constantly changing you need to be on top of what's happening in the design world. But this book is great because it covers all the basics, the foundational rules of graphic design will always be there and it's important to know them. If you are going to break the rules, it's important to know the rules. 

As for Chip Kidd (what a great name by the way) his wit and style carries this book and it is such an enjoyable read. I would highly recommend it to design students. And if you are looking for an example of Chip's work, his most famous is probably his cover for Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, which was used as the inspiration for the film of the same name. 

DRN

Ennis Cowboy

Spotted this today in my hometown of Ennis, Co. Clare. It's by Cork street artist Conor Harrington and it's pretty amazing. 

DRN

The Raft Race

Last May I organised the first ever Ballyalla Raft Race in my home town of Ennis, to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Society. As a cancer survivor myself I wanted to do something for an organisation that helps so many people all over the country. 

The day was a great success, we had 8 teams in home made rafts, over 300 spectators and most importantly we raised €3500 for the Irish Cancer Society. 

Tonight the local Youth Centre are launching the 2014 Raft Race and will be taking over the organisation of the event. We are having an exhibition of all the pictures from the day, taken by my very talented friend Ciara Killalea, which will run at Mickey Kerin's pub, Ennis, for the next week. 

DRN

Coffee?

Currently curating my coffee table. 

DRN

Jolly-olly-olly Halloween

Happy Halloween. Just a few picks of my previous Halloween greatest hits. 

DRN

Athlonely.

Was back in Athlone during the week, came across some really nice street art. Thought the above piece was particularly clever. 

DRN

Ride or Die.

Check out this bad boy! I actually won this in a raffle during the summer, and completely forgot I won it until it arrived at my door last week. Needless to say I'm delighted with it and can't wait to take it out on the road. 

DRN  

Lace up!

So in the past 2 weeks I've been working hard at working out. I'm aiming to do my first 10K in the next few weeks

Happy Halloween

Yesterday myself & my good friend Shona got in the Halloween spirit with a little bit of pumpkin carving. I was happy with the results. 

DRN

New Shoes

Shoes make everything better don't they?

I may have gone a tad overboard on my last shopping trip...

DRN

Words of Advice

Just a collection of quotes that have stuck with me over the years, so I decided to make them into type posters, all designed by me.

DRN

1000 Word Essay

Are you on Instagram?

I've come to adore the social media website as of late, mostly for the fact that it is such a global platform.They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, and with Instagram a picture can be worth a 1000 words in any language.

I am following people from all over the globe, but without the language barrier that happens with Twitter or Facebook. All pictures tell a story, and with Instagram its easier then ever before to share them with the world.

DRN

Follow me on Instagram & Twitter: @DarrenMcMahon54

Back with a bang!

So here is just a selection of my travels in the States. I was lucky enough to visit 6 states in the 3 weeks that I was there, largely due to my fantastic tour guide Katie.

More posts to come next week. WHAM is alive and kicking!

DRN

Instagramed

The above picture is me and one of my main girls, taken at my 24th Birthday Party. I Love this picture but it was so dark and over cast that day, I wanted to brighten it up a little, almost Instagram it.

So I found a great, and really simple tutorial online for how to give your photos a warmer hue to them.

And below is the result, it took no more the 2 minutes from start to finish, and once you get the hang of it, there's no stopping you!

DRN

Getting Higgy with It!

Last weekend I had the great honour to meet Professor Rolf-Dieter Heuer, CERN director general, at The Royal Irish Academy last Saturday. He was there as part of a panel discussion on the importance of finding the Higgs Boson, and my friend Katy and I were hired to record the event.


It was so great to see the massive turn out at the event, especially seeing as Ireland is the only European State currently not a member of CERN, which means that any Irish Citizens are not eligible to work there. And at a cost of 11 million euro to join, it is hardly a waste, when we think of the billions spent to bail out the Irish banks.


The entire set of interviews with the panel, in conversation with Dr. Claire O'Connell can be found on The Irish Times website.


DRN

Marina, and the diamond ideas!

Last night Ciara and I were lucky enough to catch Marina Abramovic; The Artist is Present, at The Lighthouse, Dublin.

The documentary follows Marina as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at the World famous MoMA, New York. Along with 5 of her most famous performance pieces being recreated by young artist, she is also unveiling a new piece, The Artist is Present. Put simple, The Artist is Present states that along as the exhibition is running, the artist will be present, meaning that for 6 days a week, from opening to closing, Marina will be there, and it invites members of the public to sit across from her as long as they wish, with harrowing results.

I really cannot recommend the film enough. Marina is the star, obviously, it is her film after all, but she has a monumental gravitational pull, even through the screen, to the audience, her charisma and passion shines through.

 As a short side note, can you believe Marina is sixty three? Yes, 63! Just goes to prove that art is not only good for the mind, but also for the body too!

DRN