My Weekend: "I work while others enjoy themselves, but I wouldn’t change what I do for anything"

Fri, 02 Jun, 2023 - 07:05

TELL us a little bit about yourself and your work.

Originally from Mallow, but spent almost a decade abroad in New Zealand and Australia, living the life! Had spent years working in hospitality where I enjoyed hosting in-house events, which ultimately inspired me to get into events in the first place.

When I came back to Ireland, I studied event management in Dublin, which eventually led to what I do now. I work as a freelance event producer and have worked on several events in and around Cork City and county. At the moment, I am working on Cork Harbour Festival’s flagship event, Ocean to City — An Rás Mór, which is one of the biggest multi-craft races in Europe.

My summer season of work is already full, so I’m looking forward to getting into it and co-ordinating some great events for the people of Cork.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

If I’m not working on an event, I love to socialise with my friends and sit around in the garden with some food and drinks. With my time off, I like to relax as much as possible.

Lie-ins or up with the lark... which is it for you?

Lie-ins for sure, I’m a night owl at heart.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

With my line of work, weekends are part of my job. With Ocean to City, the June bank holiday weekend will be pretty hectic, but the after-party we’ll be having will be worth it. My August bank holiday weekend is also full with working on Cork Pride.

Being in the entertainment industry, I work while others enjoy themselves, but I wouldn’t change what I do for anything.

Participants in the Ocean to City, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday June 3).

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

I’d love to go somewhere visually pretty, but with a chill vibe. Possibly Amsterdam, I’d take a relaxing boat tour of the canals, and visit the art museums, soak up the atmosphere, and enjoy what the nightlife has to offer.

I’d take a close friend with me, someone who loves to travel as much as I do.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

I love going for walks in Doneraile Park, it’s a beautiful area with gorgeous scenery and several walking trails. Further afield, Garrettstown beach is a beautiful spot for enjoying the summer sun and to unwind.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

When I can, I do, but mostly I’m working. I tend to catch up with friends during the week, or in between projects.

I try to see people as often as I can, but the summer season is usually pretty hectic for me, especially working on several projects at once: Ocean to City, Midsummer, and Cork Pride, just to name a few.

But I love what I do, and it’s a great feeling when a project comes together and you can see people really enjoying themselves at an event you’ve co-ordinated.

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I got introduced to rowing on the River Lee with Meitheal Mara after working on Ocean to City. They took us out on a currach and we rowed under several bridges in the city centre. It’s definitely something I’d love to do more often, given the time. I’ve been invited on another staff row later this year, so I’ll definitely be taking that up again.

Entertain or be entertained? Do you have a signature dish?

Be entertained; luckily for me, I have friends who love to cook, so I’m quite happy to let them decide on the dishes they serve.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork — where are your go to spots for coffee/lunch/special meal?

Liberty Grill, Café Gusto, and Loving Salads do lovely food for lunch. Everything is so fresh and tasty, I’d highly recommend all three of those cafes.

For nibbles and a few drinks, the Raven is my go to spot, you can get several tapas-style dishes and share with friends. Great spot for people watching also.

Sunday night comes around too fast... how do you normally spend it?

Sunday is my day of rest. I like to just unwind, stay in and watch Netfilx. It’s about the only day of the week where I can actually switch off.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

Depends on my work schedule, but I usually start work around 10am, and sometimes work late into the evenings. There’s no real fixed schedule with events, as there can be long/short days, and I’d work my schedule around what needs to get done.

Anything else you are up to right now?

Right now, I am in the middle of working on the Ocean to City race, which is happening tomorrow, June 3. So, it’s all hands on deck at Meitheal Mara headquarters. Great bunch of people to work with, so I do enjoy it even if we are running around the place in preparation for the weekend. It’s meant to be a scorcher too, so it should be a great weekend!

And, of course, Cork Harbour Festival runs from today until June 11, with over 80 events for us all to enjoy.

After that, I am working on several projects during the Midsummer Festival and have also taken on Cork Pride, which has a family fun day in Fitzgerald’s Park on the August bank holiday weekend, followed by their Pride Parade and After-party on Kennedy Quay.

So, I’m in the middle of my busy season right now, t. Things tend to calm down slightly after the summer, so I’ll be looking forward to taking some time off then.

Event work can be quite fast-paced and require a lot of energy, but I would never change what I do.

I get to work on some amazing projects, with great people, and meet artists, performers, musicians, chefs, sailors, and volunteers from all walks of life. My line of work definitely has a great buzz to it which I really enjoy.