First Fortnight Festival

In recent years, Irish women have taken to the sea for the physical and mental health benefits of open water swimming. In this panel discussion, we will hear from three women who turned to the sea for solace, motivation, and joy. Claire Walsh, author of Under Water is a freediver, year-round sea swimmer and teacher of breathwork courses who moved to the coast in her twenties and never looked back. Ruth Fitzmaurice is the author of I Found my Tribe, the moving tale of how she found solace from family trauma in the cold waters of the Irish Sea. Maria Fleming, CEO of First Fortnight will chair this panel discussion to bring together these voices and experiences of turning to the sea in support of your mental health.

Free admission
RUNNING TIME 50 MINS

About First Fortnight:
First Fortnight is a charity that challenges mental health stigma through arts and cultural action.

First Fortnight hosts an annual mental health, arts and culture festival throughout January, throughout Ireland. The festival celebrates the arts as a powerful catalyst for sparking unscripted conversations around mental ill health and serves to challenge the stigma associated with mental ill-health. The festival aspires to make the beginning of each year synonymous with mental health awareness, actively challenging societal prejudices, and eradicating the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health.