LkLadyPod #59 Jennifer Moran Stritch, Thanatologist: Let's Talk About Death, Baby

On 8 March 2024, Irish citizens will be asked to vote in two referendums to change our Constitution. The first Referendum concerns the concept of Family in the Constitution. The second Referendum proposes to delete an existing part of the Constitution and insert new text providing recognition for care provided by family members to each other.

You have two separate votes on whether you wish to make the proposed changes to the current text of Article 41 of the Constitution.

Ailbhe Smyth, an activist in women's rights and the rights of LGBTQIA+ people, is actively campaigning for a yes vote on both amendments, and we chat with her about why that is.

She was the founding head of Women’s Studies at UCD (University College Dublin) where she began lecturing at the age of 21. She has been campaigning on feminist, LGBTQI+ and socialist issues for decades. She played a key role in the victorious Marriage Equality referendum in 2015. A pro-choice activist since the late 1970s, Ailbhe co-founded the Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment and went on to become Co-Director of the Together for Yes 2015 referendum campaign which won the right to abortion for women in Ireland in 2018.

A Dublin resident, Ailbhe is currently Chair of Women’s Aid Ireland, and Honorary Patron of the Women’s Collective Ireland (previously National Collective of Community-based Women’s Network). She is a founder member of Climate Justice Coalition, and also of Le Chéile: Diversity not Division which campaigns against the growth of far right extremism.

In 2019, Ailbhe was listed as one of Time Magazine’s ‘Most Influential People’. She was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Laws by NUIG in 2021, and was conferred with the Freedom of the City of Dublin.

Follow Ailbhe Smyth on Twitter at AilbheS

Follow Ann Blake on Twitter at annblake78, on Instagram at annblakeplay and check out  her band The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on twitter at BPLO.

Find Emma Langford on Twitter at ELangfordMusic – on Instagram at EmmaLangfordMusic - and at her website www.emmalangfordmusic.com   

Find the Limerick Lady podcast wherever you get your podcasts, and follow for new episodes on the third Thursday every month.

The Limerick Lady Podcast is supported by the Limerick Post Newspaper, and sponsored by Ormston House Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie

This podcast usually goes out on the 3rd Thursday each month - the 'Thirdsday', if you will.

Follow The Limerick Lady on Facebook at TheLimerickLady, on Twitter at LkLadyHQ and on Instagram at thelimericklady

Tweet about us using #LKLadyPod so we can see what you have to say! 

Intro music: Demon Darling by Emma Langford

Outro music: Closed Book by Emma Langford

Unfortunately there is no episode this month as Emma is on tour in the USA and Ann is in the middle of a big (good) life episode that she will be letting people know about soon.

Find out more and get ticets for Emma's USA shows at www.emmalangfordmusic.com/tour 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS! This month we spoke to Molly Cantwell about her charity cover of ‘River’ which was released on Wednesday the 20th of December in aid of GCN (Gay Community News), in memory of her late friend Joe Drennan who was killed this year in a hit-and-run incident in Limerick. We also chatted about her time dressing as a medieval lady to sing at banquets in Knappogue and Bunratty, her work in journalism, and some hidden talents that she has not adequately exploited recently.

Molly Cantwell is a 25-year-old Irish/Valenciano/Madeiran queer multimedia journalist and student at the University of Limerick - as well as an award-winning shower singer to-be.

Currently sitting as managing editor of Limerick Voice and editor-in-chief of An Focal, Molly is passionate about platforming human rights and equality stories as well as writing about music, arts and culture, news, politics, and much more. She freelances for Hot Press and Overblown, with previous work in The Clare Echo, GCN, The Irish Examiner, The Limerick Leader, and more. 

During her time as a student in Limerick College of Further Education (2018 - 2020), Molly solo-produced and created her National Student Media Award nominated radio documentary “Cyber Killer - Qu'est - Ce Que C'est?”. In 2022, Molly also sat as editor-in-chief of CURIOUS - a UL magazine created by second year students. She has been nominated for the Smedias eight times - winning two of these categories.

Molly has already lived another lifetime as a professional entertainer with Shannon Heritage, which she thoroughly enjoyed, but she is excited to finish college in 2024 and get her journalism career properly started. She is inspired by the dedicated work of her colleagues at Hot Press and female journalists like Zara King, Sarah McInerney, Claire Byrne, Louise McSharry, Aoife Moore, and more. 

Follow Molly Cantwell on Instagram at @WhatMollyDoesNext and on Twitter/X at @whatmolsaysnext 

Buy "River" on Bandcamp NOW here: https://mollycantwell.bandcamp.com/track/river 

GCN is a free, vital resource by the LGBTQ+ community for the LGBTQ+ community since 1988. You can find them and support their work here: https://gcn.ie/ 

Tickets for The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra on the 23rd of December in Dolans, Limerick are available here: https://www.dolans.ie/gigs-events-live-music-listings/2023/12/23/the-brad-pitt-light-orchestra 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

For our November episode, we're joined by Eilís Walsh, a graduate of MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society. Eilís is a blogger, photographer, and burgeoning social media marketer from Co Kilkenny, now living in Limerick.

She is one of three project leaders of The Night Doesn't Belong To Us, alongside Maria McSweeney and Julie McLoughlin. 

In the wake of tragic events of the last few years, "The Night Doesn't Belong To Us" emerges as a timely and vital project, addressing the concerns and experiences of women navigating the streets of Limerick after dark. Born from a pre-pandemic idea, the project took root during lockdowns, with its full realization delayed due to necessary restrictions.

Initiated by Eilís Walsh who has an interest in photo-journalism, and sparked by a prior project
delving into men's mental health, "The Night Doesn't Belong To Us" pivots to shed light on the
unease felt by women during nighttime activities in Limerick. The project gained momentum
following the tragic murders of Ashling Murphy and Urantsetseg Tserendorj, reinforcing the need to confront and discuss women's safety in public spaces.

Collaborating with artist Maria McSweeney, the project aims to amplify the voices of women from diverse backgrounds and age groups living in Limerick. Through a comprehensive survey distributed on social media, the team, with invaluable assistance from William O'Neill of The People's Museum of Limerick, received over 150 responses detailing locations and activities that evoke feelings of vulnerability and danger.

Navigating logistical challenges and fueled by a grant from the Arts Council of Ireland's Agility Award, the team, including photographer Julie McLoughlin, is now set to capture the stories of nearly 50 women. Their aim is to authentically represent the experiences of women of all ages and backgrounds, ensuring inclusivity across communities.

As "The Night Doesn't Belong To Us" continues to unfold, the project seeks further engagement from members of Trans Limerick and the 65+ age group, aiming to enrich the narrative and reflect the diversity of experiences within the community. An exhibition is scheduled for the summer of 2024. 

Follow The Night Doesn't Belong To Us on Instagram at thenightdoesntbelongtous or reach Eilís by email at eilismwalsh@gmail.com 

Tickets for a Night For Palestine in Dolans, Limerick are available here: https://dolans.yapsody.com/event/index/791489/a-night-for-palestine 

Read more about Limerick's "Particles Or Waves" project in 2014: http://www.connolly-cleary.com/Home/particles.html 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

Happy Halloween! This month we're joined by thanatologist and Death Café host Jennifer Moran-Stritch. Jennifer is a lecturer at the Technological University of the Shannon in Limerick. The focus of her teaching is in personal development, therapeutic group work skills, and loss and grief for the caring professional. In addition to lecturing, Jennifer is the primary principal investigator of the Loss and Grief Research Group which is part of Social Sciences ConneXions Research Institute at TUS.  She also teaches on the RCSI/Irish Hospice MSc in Loss and Bereavement and is a certified thanatologist and the current Irish representative to the Association for the Study of Death and Society. In 2015, Jennifer co-hosted the first Death Café event in the Limerick area, where people gather to eat cake, drink coffee and tea and celebrate our mortality.

She is a steering group member of the Global Dying Well Initiative and one of the founders of the Limerick Bereavement Network.

In this podcast we look at global funeral rituals and traditions; Irish attitudes toward death; how long is too long to try and hold on to the memory of somebody; and whether modern technology is helping or hindering the natural healing process of grief. 

Follow Jennifer on Facebook at Death Cafe Limerick, reach her by email at deathcafelimerick@gmail.com and she's also findable on the TUS website at www.TUS.ie 

Find tickets to Ann's/The Brad Pitt Light Orchestra's gig as part of Comhluadar's Féile Na Samhna at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/comhluadarluimnigh/1034259?fbclid=IwAR2JHetdnFK2k3W-4CMA65o8gqGoldG_8Eck2K6XzFbclLqifl3HG63V5OE 

Check out all of Lumen Street Theatre's Samhain Festival events at https://samhain.lumenstreettheatre.ie/ 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

Emma and Ann chat to theatre maker Róisín Stack whose show No Woman Is An Island is premiering at Dublin Theatre Festival 2023. The discussion covers the ins and outs, ups and downs of the creative process, which she humorously describes as 'stumbling blindly through the dark'.  Given that Ann happens to be directing the play, the episode also explores the dynamic between performer and director in the rehearsal room. 

One conclusion that is decidedly drawn from this chat is the importance of 'the craic' when it comes to making artistic work.

No Woman Is An Island is previewing in Galway Oct 4th-7th in Bank of Ireland Theatre

Book: https://tht.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173646948

And premiering in Dublin Theatre Festival Oct 11th - 14th in The Project Arts Centre(Cube) 

Book: https://dublintheatrefestival.ie/event/no-woman-is-an-island/#0 

Follow Róisín on Insta @rostack_  www.roisinstack.com/ #NoWoShow

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

This month we talk to beloved Limerick-based collage artist, writer, and coffee slinger Tiffany Glenn aka Instagram's "Fannyland". Tiffany runs a monthly collage night at the Wickham Way market in Limerick City, and can be found in her blue/teal/robin-egg coloured shed in the same marketplace every Saturday and Sunday serving some of the best coffee in town. 

Originally from Colorado, Tiffany has run the gamut of career-paths in her time, from sex-shop sales-assistant to the military, and from phlebotomist to flight attendant – not necessarily in that order. 

This episode is something of a frenzied collage of conversation, bouncing from cancel culture and the "bonnet cop", to all-consuming obsessions with certain Disney characters, to Ann and Tiffany's Christian rock-star crush, Keith Green. We also of course chat about the loss of the great Sinéad O'Connor, and the cultural touchstone she was. 

Find Tiffany at www.Instagram.com/FannyLander or support her on her webshop fannyland.sumupstore.com  

Check out the Women's Collective Open Day on the 7th of September at this link: https://womenscollective.ie/latest-news/wci-limerick-open-day/  

And listen to the dreamy Keith Green for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em5gL0Rw4Aw&ab_channel=monum 

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms. New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie 

Special guest on the podcast this month is El Reid Buckley. El Reid-Buckley (they/them) is a sociologist, writer, and collage artist based in Limerick, Ireland. They are currently completing a PhD in Sociology on bisexualities in post-marriage equality Ireland – they're currently waiting on their viva voce! "Free 'Til Viva" in their own words.

Their research, writing and artistic practice is broadly focused on issues of genders and sexualities; with research interests in a wide number of areas such as trans theory, pop culture, media studies, archival and memorial practices, and the politics of space. Overall, their work aims to connect art, academia, and activism, to celebrate the beauty, joy, and diversity of queerness and trans identity. You can find El on Twitter at @ereidbuckley. 

El says that you can't live in a room if you don't clean it or at least re-organise it a bit. This episode explores the impulse many LGBTQIA+ people feel to mold themselves to cis-het expectations of them, rather than being and embracing their authentic selves.

We look at queer identity, self-reflection within the community, the perception of events like Stonewall as "amorphous" in discussions around queer visibility and activism, and the importance of rage in making things happen. We also learn why sober events during Pride are so vital. 

Referenced in the conversation: 

"queerness in a heteronormative world is like sitting in an uncomfortable chair" – Sara Ahmed 

"My Words To Victor Frankenstein Above The Village Of Chamounix" by Susan Stryker 

RTÉ's coverage of the LGBTQIA+ community: https://gcn.ie/reeling-in-the-queers-rte-archives-70s-80s/ 

"The place in which I'll fit will not exist until I make it." – James Baldwin

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself." – George Bernard Shaw 

"There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives." – Audre Lorde 

"Screaming Queens" documentary by Susan Stryker: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464189/ 

TLC (Trans Limerick Community): https://twitter.com/translimerick?lang=en 

Event being run by El: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-ireland-we-dreamed-of-tickets-647128307187  

The Limerick Lady is a grassroots movement based in Limerick, Ireland, with a focus on promoting conversation around gender, visibility, gender balance and the arts. It was founded in 2016 by award-winning (and losing) singer-songwriter Emma Langford, who hosts the podcast alongside fellow award-winning (and losing) Limerick woman, theatre-maker and musician Ann Blake.

Find the Limerick Lady Podcast on all your favourite streaming platforms.

New episodes drop once a month, on the third Thursday (or Thirdsday, if you will).

The Limerick Lady is sponsored by Ormston House and supported by The Limerick Post Newspaper.

Follow Ormston House at www.ormstonhouse.com

Support the Limerick Post at www.limerickpost.ie