we are a nation of drinkers and no one
asks why no one bats an eye do we ever
stop to look at the harm or the effect
on society as a whole our drinkin nation
is not age-specific
in fact if you have not been binge drink
and at some stage in your life I would
question your nationality do we question
the harsh words that may have passed our
lips sleeping with someone we shouldn’t
wishing we hadn’t knowing that we
shouldn’t have that line of cocaine or
the ecstasy tab we may have had more
sense to refuse four pints or two Jager
bombs ago we wake up and convince
ourselves it wasn’t me
I was drunk I love that statement I’ve
had friends finish that sentence with
I’m not going out with you anymore
because you remember everything I really
do feel it for the youth of today I was
lucky enough to grow up with a Facebook
snapchat and Instagram my teenage years
when I played out like a West End show
to millions via social media given my
friends and peers every opportunity to
publicly ridicule every fashion faux pas
and bad hair day of which I’ve had many
I do see the good in social media though
we are now not only aware of a refugee
crisis we have the face of a tiny
five-year-old boys body washed up on a
beach imprinted in our minds forever I’m
not sure if you’ve seen this image but
it’s one that I’ll never forget we also
learn about new disorders through this
wonderful platform such as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis we complete ice bucket
challenges in order to raise awareness
and funds for the people affected when
months later our youth are challenged to
neck nominations which take their lives
years after all the drinkin and the odd
double and recreational drugs we end up
not functioning properly
we can’t think our minds are running at
90 miles an hour
we can’t sleep suicidal thoughts creep
in anxiety depression or worse can be
diagnosed by your local GP we then
revert to the new norm sleeping tablets
antidepressants antipsychotics red wine
midweek or suffering whatever helps you
through
but do they or are we just masking the
problem or therapy counseling or
meditation help ask yourself this of all
the beautiful souls lost by our
community to suicide how many had clear
toxicology reports now let’s take it one
step further have mental health issues
or substance abuse of any kind touched
their lives now let’s look at the
services and how were run in this
country if we were to complete a random
drug test for legal and illegal
substances in our government tomorrow
how many of the people we employ to roam
this country would pass I was helping a
young guy in his early twenties only a
few weeks ago he told me while unable to
stand he was so drunk that he himself
was suicidal he said he explained that
he lost his best friend to suicide
earlier this year and he said he just
couldn’t understand why he said we just
been on the best 10-day cocaine-fueled
bender of our lives and that song that
he spent searching for his friends buddy
we as a nation are going through a
mental health epidemic and I’m
constantly asking why did you know we
have between sixty and eighty thousand
thoughts a day we are receiving 60,000
times more information that we did sixty
years ago we have not yet evolved to
contain such information and with the
constant pressure to have the perfect
relationship the perfect family the
perfect career and all of which must be
perfectly photographed and posted on
social media to exist
how are we to cope I wondered one day
while tagging myself at the gym what I
bore an equally the same amount of
calories had I checked in or not then I
looked at my mental and emotional states
before and after checking in once I had
placed that tag
I felt like my workout was done are we
living in existence based on social
perception when we’re experienced in the
most joyful moments of our lives are we
really live in that joy or are we
constantly thinkin how best to post this
event we are losing intellect while
gaining online intelligence we don’t
think anymore
we ask google we don’t create we check
Pinterest and we just imitate something
that already exists
don’t be controlled by an online
existence be yourself accept yourself
get to know yourself I am NOT standing
here declare and perfection far from I
am NOT standing here in judgment the
betterment of society with a hopeful
wish my words may inspire choices in the
decisions we have not yet made go
outside to the beach the river the
forest and just walk remove yourself
from constant newsfeed sports results
your PC your tablet your phone and just
sit quietly until it becomes comfortable
this may take a while but trust me
serenity is worth it I would like to
know perform for you my first piece of
spoken word it’s called socially
acceptable we drink or not thirsty no
higher I’m sure I’m only 30 the alcohol
has got me it wasn’t me last week last
month are in July it’s not a lie it’s
what we do on this Islands going neck
Reckitt live the Boers live on what was
once a life of simple heart smiles and
laughter now filled with dark morning’s
of sulfur Dean solutions launch time
cures in Saturday night disaster
midweek tipples turn into thursday tears
rewind repeat fast forward some yokes
shirts are a joke the mind can’t focus
living in last week last month last
decades regrets fear is taken over they
say it’s depression I say it was a me
last week last month or last year my
blurred hearts became intoxicated
actions did I choose this destiny of
anxiety and confusion in my future I
will worry for what I perceive may
catastrophic ly happen the room is
closing in I can’t breathe I want to
leave I have arrived I feel my feet in
the sand my breath in the moment my life
is in my hands
I see the sunlight and take in life’s
pleasures it’s on me I’m 63 my life
created me I haven’t paid from my voice
I’ve taken all the good advice live in
the moment feel your breath can be free
but my Sonny needs me a dee dee lives a
simple life lacks attention and order
confused states of mind and laughter my
grandson’s bipolar
I lacked a life of trying to create
world order or have my choices created a
new disorder medication the new voice of
this generation a world full of sedated
Minds making decisions for a nation
creative minds can draw the dole
Google’s in control Wars make money and
illness sells new visions created by
genius minds and stolen by the Dragons
with the money to do so step back fall
forward
watch yourself insure yourself your dog
your life your car has you’ve been
feared to do so fear what might happen
it didn’t you aren’t he didn’t breathe
into your own body and be free this is
me
I’m 23 no drink in my hand a hatred for
drugs and a yearly list from my destiny
fast cars lay bare as pure at heart
smiles and laughter embarrassing moments
I tried to forget sober tarts I won’t
regret wisdom and sadness for what I’ve
seen but I am keen luring her with a
sixth sense I now understand the worlds
in my hands I’d like to now tell you a
little bit about where my inspiration
originates from my name is Linda
Sheridan I was born in 1982 the most
loving family my mother is literally the
most kindest caring given person you
could ever meet
you could ask my mom for an organ and
she would say yes would ever question
and force whether she needed or not
herself to survive she passed this
wonderful nature on to my brother we
were brought up in tala in Dublin
surrounded by the most Admiral admirable
communities Ferris we didn’t have much
but we had each other I was bullied a
little in primary school and at 12 I
went to secondary school with one
mission to be popular I made some great
friends that first year and to this day
we are still close at 17 in my leave in
search here my friend who had been
failed by the mental health system ended
up in prison for murder
that was my first and only time to pass
through the gates among joy prison I was
searched and felt those gates closed
behind me while in the visiting room
surrounded by other prisoners I gave him
the notes he needed to complete his
leave insert while he showed me the
wounds that were self-inflicted saying
that what he felt was
Harlem wasn’t real so many lives had
been ruined forever
at 18 I received another lesson I was
involved in a traffic accident totally
not my fault but as we live in this
blame claim culture it was dragged
through the courts I won both the civil
and the criminal court cases but to this
day I will never forget the absolute
terror of being torn apart by that
barrister as I stood in the witness box
after the court cases and delighted with
my eighth honours myself and my friends
kind your typical leave in search
results celebration two weeks in the
Canaries while on holidays that
following year I got really ill when I
came home the illness persisted and my
liver started to fail although the
medical team didn’t quite know what was
wrong with me they advised me not to
consume a toxin for at least a year no
alcohol not even a headache tablet I
think my friends drank more in that year
than they have done in any year since
then 18 months later and with a full
diagnosis from an American blood team I
was given the good news I had now a
fully functioning liver and permission
to drink again that day I asked myself
was they still first on the dance floor
did I still get up and sing badly on the
karaoke and the answer was yes I haven’t
drank since and two months before my
21st birthday I moved into my very own
three bed semi at 23 I got one of the
greatest gifts I have ever received a
little boy came to stay with us from an
orphanage in Belarus he came to the
Chernobyl aid Ireland charity under
arrest and recuperation program he came
to say for one month a Christmas and
three months in the summer and I’m
incredibly proud to say after a 10-year
about 22 tearful gobias he is now 23 he
is my son and he’s here in the audience
tonight Vanya everyone
Vanya’s life would make a trilogy you
would not believe to be based on a true
life story when he was six at the hands
of his alcoholic father he lost his
mother his father served 10 years in
prison and his brother served ace Vanya
has taught me more than any formal
education ever has done or will do in
this lifetime imagine my excitement that
first Christmas we had this little boy
coming to say what else from the
orphanage and I was going to give him
everything I don’t think I slept for a
week with excitement and on that
Christmas morning you couldn’t see the
carapace I rushed down to his bedroom
woke him up brought him to the living
room and I could have never predicted
what was going to happen next he stood
in the doorway the blood drained from
his face he felt instantly sick and he
ran I persisted and persisted that all
the gifts were for him after much
persistence he took one keyring and one
small car it took me a long time to
understand why but finally only had one
pocket that Christmas morning and in his
world possessions meant you were in
danger there’s been so many lessons just
like this one another time he came to
the airport and to all the hugs and
smiles and laughter I know is he had all
these scratches on his face and when I
asked him what had happened through our
usual form of communication which was
charades because we hadn’t got a
language between us he explains that the
girls had been given a responsibility to
clean the boys bedroom block and there
wasn’t enough two pushes to go around so
the girls used to take all the
toothbrushes and set the boys challenges
to get the two pushes back that day I
went to the local euro store and I
bought every two push they had in order
to try and stop these children trading
to bushes like cigarettes in prison
we’ve also had so many funny times so
many moments of joy and laughter and one
of my favorite stories that makes me
smile to this day is our first trip to
Tesco’s we arrived at the till trolley
full of shopping and Vanya just could
not understand how the Machine knew when
to beep so he used to try and beat it
so he’d beep and the tail would beep and
he’d be
finally played beat the beep for every
trolley loaded shopping for three years
what could I do I used to just stand
there and smile you know how could I
explain the situation I couldn’t even
speak his language and I’m so incredibly
proud of the young man that he’s become
today
he doesn’t wear his scars like a suit of
armor he knows the true meaning of the
word charity he goes around and tries to
make everybody that’s around him smile
and I am honored to have being part of
his journey so far I’d like to know
share with you my second piece of spoken
word which is about our journey and it’s
aptly named my son me I wrote a song
when I was 33 was it all about me my
life lessons are what it really meant to
me life and understanding of this
century I’m a hundred years why is yet
I’m only 33 it all started when I was 23
or was it when I was only 3 my mom said
to me think of all the babies you’ll
have when you’re growing up like me
my reply when I was 3 I’d have to save
all the babies that are already here
like me to be a mom just like you would
a vision so clear and strong it was hard
to get along old employers would
recognize young friends would criticize
and mock teenage years full of fears of
fitting in I wasn’t young with a fear of
fitting in I was different and hadn’t
quite realized how much I was happy to
stand out speak out look up and be
counted
change lives with a vision that
astounded at 23 my true lesson came to
me from Russia what loafie was sent to
me he would be my best teacher in all of
what life is meant to be he would surely
connect with me connected by a soul
which had passed away this was meant to
be life of cruel torment and hatred
should are from what is sacred
lessons he had learned a teacher could
not preach Lord of the Flies and reality
could not teach loss of life strife a
cruel tormented life you are here to me
but yeah he didn’t appear to be 2 years
of love life and laughter looking after
no joy he would still not cry trust or
rely a small hand from a cage a monkey
he did engage one small hand to another
pass the piece of Apple and the loss of
a mother legs lost all power from within
and from the heart not the emotions did
begin from one small
that wept over years gains strength and
did grow being cherished and let go on
this roller coaster we did go Airport
tears a months of fears laughter filled
so many Christmas years pocket-sized
presents were hidden value two brushes
were prison value lessons learned a let
go through his teachings I did grow from
the spirit world he was sent to me
connected one mother to another in many
ways he gave birth to me shall be my
determination and who I was meant to be
you are my son and were always meant to
be sent by your birth motor now you have
another and your hair with me thank you
[Applause]
asks why no one bats an eye do we ever
stop to look at the harm or the effect
on society as a whole our drinkin nation
is not age-specific
in fact if you have not been binge drink
and at some stage in your life I would
question your nationality do we question
the harsh words that may have passed our
lips sleeping with someone we shouldn’t
wishing we hadn’t knowing that we
shouldn’t have that line of cocaine or
the ecstasy tab we may have had more
sense to refuse four pints or two Jager
bombs ago we wake up and convince
ourselves it wasn’t me
I was drunk I love that statement I’ve
had friends finish that sentence with
I’m not going out with you anymore
because you remember everything I really
do feel it for the youth of today I was
lucky enough to grow up with a Facebook
snapchat and Instagram my teenage years
when I played out like a West End show
to millions via social media given my
friends and peers every opportunity to
publicly ridicule every fashion faux pas
and bad hair day of which I’ve had many
I do see the good in social media though
we are now not only aware of a refugee
crisis we have the face of a tiny
five-year-old boys body washed up on a
beach imprinted in our minds forever I’m
not sure if you’ve seen this image but
it’s one that I’ll never forget we also
learn about new disorders through this
wonderful platform such as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis we complete ice bucket
challenges in order to raise awareness
and funds for the people affected when
months later our youth are challenged to
neck nominations which take their lives
years after all the drinkin and the odd
double and recreational drugs we end up
not functioning properly
we can’t think our minds are running at
90 miles an hour
we can’t sleep suicidal thoughts creep
in anxiety depression or worse can be
diagnosed by your local GP we then
revert to the new norm sleeping tablets
antidepressants antipsychotics red wine
midweek or suffering whatever helps you
through
but do they or are we just masking the
problem or therapy counseling or
meditation help ask yourself this of all
the beautiful souls lost by our
community to suicide how many had clear
toxicology reports now let’s take it one
step further have mental health issues
or substance abuse of any kind touched
their lives now let’s look at the
services and how were run in this
country if we were to complete a random
drug test for legal and illegal
substances in our government tomorrow
how many of the people we employ to roam
this country would pass I was helping a
young guy in his early twenties only a
few weeks ago he told me while unable to
stand he was so drunk that he himself
was suicidal he said he explained that
he lost his best friend to suicide
earlier this year and he said he just
couldn’t understand why he said we just
been on the best 10-day cocaine-fueled
bender of our lives and that song that
he spent searching for his friends buddy
we as a nation are going through a
mental health epidemic and I’m
constantly asking why did you know we
have between sixty and eighty thousand
thoughts a day we are receiving 60,000
times more information that we did sixty
years ago we have not yet evolved to
contain such information and with the
constant pressure to have the perfect
relationship the perfect family the
perfect career and all of which must be
perfectly photographed and posted on
social media to exist
how are we to cope I wondered one day
while tagging myself at the gym what I
bore an equally the same amount of
calories had I checked in or not then I
looked at my mental and emotional states
before and after checking in once I had
placed that tag
I felt like my workout was done are we
living in existence based on social
perception when we’re experienced in the
most joyful moments of our lives are we
really live in that joy or are we
constantly thinkin how best to post this
event we are losing intellect while
gaining online intelligence we don’t
think anymore
we ask google we don’t create we check
Pinterest and we just imitate something
that already exists
don’t be controlled by an online
existence be yourself accept yourself
get to know yourself I am NOT standing
here declare and perfection far from I
am NOT standing here in judgment the
betterment of society with a hopeful
wish my words may inspire choices in the
decisions we have not yet made go
outside to the beach the river the
forest and just walk remove yourself
from constant newsfeed sports results
your PC your tablet your phone and just
sit quietly until it becomes comfortable
this may take a while but trust me
serenity is worth it I would like to
know perform for you my first piece of
spoken word it’s called socially
acceptable we drink or not thirsty no
higher I’m sure I’m only 30 the alcohol
has got me it wasn’t me last week last
month are in July it’s not a lie it’s
what we do on this Islands going neck
Reckitt live the Boers live on what was
once a life of simple heart smiles and
laughter now filled with dark morning’s
of sulfur Dean solutions launch time
cures in Saturday night disaster
midweek tipples turn into thursday tears
rewind repeat fast forward some yokes
shirts are a joke the mind can’t focus
living in last week last month last
decades regrets fear is taken over they
say it’s depression I say it was a me
last week last month or last year my
blurred hearts became intoxicated
actions did I choose this destiny of
anxiety and confusion in my future I
will worry for what I perceive may
catastrophic ly happen the room is
closing in I can’t breathe I want to
leave I have arrived I feel my feet in
the sand my breath in the moment my life
is in my hands
I see the sunlight and take in life’s
pleasures it’s on me I’m 63 my life
created me I haven’t paid from my voice
I’ve taken all the good advice live in
the moment feel your breath can be free
but my Sonny needs me a dee dee lives a
simple life lacks attention and order
confused states of mind and laughter my
grandson’s bipolar
I lacked a life of trying to create
world order or have my choices created a
new disorder medication the new voice of
this generation a world full of sedated
Minds making decisions for a nation
creative minds can draw the dole
Google’s in control Wars make money and
illness sells new visions created by
genius minds and stolen by the Dragons
with the money to do so step back fall
forward
watch yourself insure yourself your dog
your life your car has you’ve been
feared to do so fear what might happen
it didn’t you aren’t he didn’t breathe
into your own body and be free this is
me
I’m 23 no drink in my hand a hatred for
drugs and a yearly list from my destiny
fast cars lay bare as pure at heart
smiles and laughter embarrassing moments
I tried to forget sober tarts I won’t
regret wisdom and sadness for what I’ve
seen but I am keen luring her with a
sixth sense I now understand the worlds
in my hands I’d like to now tell you a
little bit about where my inspiration
originates from my name is Linda
Sheridan I was born in 1982 the most
loving family my mother is literally the
most kindest caring given person you
could ever meet
you could ask my mom for an organ and
she would say yes would ever question
and force whether she needed or not
herself to survive she passed this
wonderful nature on to my brother we
were brought up in tala in Dublin
surrounded by the most Admiral admirable
communities Ferris we didn’t have much
but we had each other I was bullied a
little in primary school and at 12 I
went to secondary school with one
mission to be popular I made some great
friends that first year and to this day
we are still close at 17 in my leave in
search here my friend who had been
failed by the mental health system ended
up in prison for murder
that was my first and only time to pass
through the gates among joy prison I was
searched and felt those gates closed
behind me while in the visiting room
surrounded by other prisoners I gave him
the notes he needed to complete his
leave insert while he showed me the
wounds that were self-inflicted saying
that what he felt was
Harlem wasn’t real so many lives had
been ruined forever
at 18 I received another lesson I was
involved in a traffic accident totally
not my fault but as we live in this
blame claim culture it was dragged
through the courts I won both the civil
and the criminal court cases but to this
day I will never forget the absolute
terror of being torn apart by that
barrister as I stood in the witness box
after the court cases and delighted with
my eighth honours myself and my friends
kind your typical leave in search
results celebration two weeks in the
Canaries while on holidays that
following year I got really ill when I
came home the illness persisted and my
liver started to fail although the
medical team didn’t quite know what was
wrong with me they advised me not to
consume a toxin for at least a year no
alcohol not even a headache tablet I
think my friends drank more in that year
than they have done in any year since
then 18 months later and with a full
diagnosis from an American blood team I
was given the good news I had now a
fully functioning liver and permission
to drink again that day I asked myself
was they still first on the dance floor
did I still get up and sing badly on the
karaoke and the answer was yes I haven’t
drank since and two months before my
21st birthday I moved into my very own
three bed semi at 23 I got one of the
greatest gifts I have ever received a
little boy came to stay with us from an
orphanage in Belarus he came to the
Chernobyl aid Ireland charity under
arrest and recuperation program he came
to say for one month a Christmas and
three months in the summer and I’m
incredibly proud to say after a 10-year
about 22 tearful gobias he is now 23 he
is my son and he’s here in the audience
tonight Vanya everyone
Vanya’s life would make a trilogy you
would not believe to be based on a true
life story when he was six at the hands
of his alcoholic father he lost his
mother his father served 10 years in
prison and his brother served ace Vanya
has taught me more than any formal
education ever has done or will do in
this lifetime imagine my excitement that
first Christmas we had this little boy
coming to say what else from the
orphanage and I was going to give him
everything I don’t think I slept for a
week with excitement and on that
Christmas morning you couldn’t see the
carapace I rushed down to his bedroom
woke him up brought him to the living
room and I could have never predicted
what was going to happen next he stood
in the doorway the blood drained from
his face he felt instantly sick and he
ran I persisted and persisted that all
the gifts were for him after much
persistence he took one keyring and one
small car it took me a long time to
understand why but finally only had one
pocket that Christmas morning and in his
world possessions meant you were in
danger there’s been so many lessons just
like this one another time he came to
the airport and to all the hugs and
smiles and laughter I know is he had all
these scratches on his face and when I
asked him what had happened through our
usual form of communication which was
charades because we hadn’t got a
language between us he explains that the
girls had been given a responsibility to
clean the boys bedroom block and there
wasn’t enough two pushes to go around so
the girls used to take all the
toothbrushes and set the boys challenges
to get the two pushes back that day I
went to the local euro store and I
bought every two push they had in order
to try and stop these children trading
to bushes like cigarettes in prison
we’ve also had so many funny times so
many moments of joy and laughter and one
of my favorite stories that makes me
smile to this day is our first trip to
Tesco’s we arrived at the till trolley
full of shopping and Vanya just could
not understand how the Machine knew when
to beep so he used to try and beat it
so he’d beep and the tail would beep and
he’d be
finally played beat the beep for every
trolley loaded shopping for three years
what could I do I used to just stand
there and smile you know how could I
explain the situation I couldn’t even
speak his language and I’m so incredibly
proud of the young man that he’s become
today
he doesn’t wear his scars like a suit of
armor he knows the true meaning of the
word charity he goes around and tries to
make everybody that’s around him smile
and I am honored to have being part of
his journey so far I’d like to know
share with you my second piece of spoken
word which is about our journey and it’s
aptly named my son me I wrote a song
when I was 33 was it all about me my
life lessons are what it really meant to
me life and understanding of this
century I’m a hundred years why is yet
I’m only 33 it all started when I was 23
or was it when I was only 3 my mom said
to me think of all the babies you’ll
have when you’re growing up like me
my reply when I was 3 I’d have to save
all the babies that are already here
like me to be a mom just like you would
a vision so clear and strong it was hard
to get along old employers would
recognize young friends would criticize
and mock teenage years full of fears of
fitting in I wasn’t young with a fear of
fitting in I was different and hadn’t
quite realized how much I was happy to
stand out speak out look up and be
counted
change lives with a vision that
astounded at 23 my true lesson came to
me from Russia what loafie was sent to
me he would be my best teacher in all of
what life is meant to be he would surely
connect with me connected by a soul
which had passed away this was meant to
be life of cruel torment and hatred
should are from what is sacred
lessons he had learned a teacher could
not preach Lord of the Flies and reality
could not teach loss of life strife a
cruel tormented life you are here to me
but yeah he didn’t appear to be 2 years
of love life and laughter looking after
no joy he would still not cry trust or
rely a small hand from a cage a monkey
he did engage one small hand to another
pass the piece of Apple and the loss of
a mother legs lost all power from within
and from the heart not the emotions did
begin from one small
that wept over years gains strength and
did grow being cherished and let go on
this roller coaster we did go Airport
tears a months of fears laughter filled
so many Christmas years pocket-sized
presents were hidden value two brushes
were prison value lessons learned a let
go through his teachings I did grow from
the spirit world he was sent to me
connected one mother to another in many
ways he gave birth to me shall be my
determination and who I was meant to be
you are my son and were always meant to
be sent by your birth motor now you have
another and your hair with me thank you
[Applause]
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