GCN’s festival of LGBTQ+ creativity, In and Out is back with a special discussion with the athlete and positive mental health advocate Hannah Tyrrell! Sporting Pride has teamed up with GOSHH, the North Tipperary Development Company (NTDC), and GCN for this special event.

The event will be presented by 2fm radio host and documentary maker Stephen Byrne, another positive mental health advocate in his own right. Taking place on Tuesday, September 28th at 7 pm, this event promises to open up dialogue on the mental wellbeing of our community with a focus on those who may feel more isolated.

Hannah Tyrrell played rugby for both the Ireland 7s and 15s and recently moved into ladies Gaelic football, winning player of the match in a number of high profile games before narrowly missing out on All Ireland glory with the Dublin team earlier this month.

Aside from sport, she is a proud ambassador for Pieta House and was heavily involved in the ‘Tackle Your Feelings’ campaign in conjunction with Rugby Players Ireland. She previously received the Contribution to Irish Society award and has spoken on numerous occasions about her recovery from an eating disorder and struggles with mental health.

Stephen has had his own battles with mental health and is now also a proud ambassador for Pieta. He was very vocal on World Suicide Prevention day and has partnered with the charity for their “Know the Signs of Suicide” campaign, helping to spread the word about how to recognise suicide warning signs and what you can do to help. Stephen’s documentary ‘Playing It Straight’ explored the topic of homophobia in football and is as relevant today as it was when it was first released – there are still no high profile premiership footballers out and proud in English professional football.

GOSHH has a vision of creating an environment where the mental, emotional, physical, and social well-being of everyone is promoted and sexual rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled. Recognising the importance of a holistic approach to wellbeing is central to their mission and they offer a variety of services to reflect this, including counselling, outreach, training, and rapid testing, to name but a few.

Joanne from the NTDC states that:

“There have been some very positive changes in attitudes and inclusion when it comes to representation of LGBTI+ in our sporting communities. However, we still have a long way to go when it comes to rural Ireland representation. North Tipperary Development Company is delighted to collaborate with such services through our Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) to spark conversations… it is important that the LGBTI+ community know that there is active support and inclusion happening across both Tipperary and rural Ireland”.

Join us live via our YouTube and Facebook channels at 7 pm next Tuesday – viewers will have the opportunity to leave comments and questions throughout which will be picked up towards the end of the interview!

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This event is supported by