Joy in the Park: A place for joy in Cork - and a space for mental health 

Following in the footsteps of Cork’s much-loved Mad Pride festival, Joy in the Park is a much-needed thing in the city - a free, family-friendly day of craic agus ceol in Fitzgerald’s Park, with the aim of focusing attention on supports and advice that are available to those of us who are struggling with our mental health and wellbeing, from advice on daily stressors, to outreach about more extensive interventions.

In tandem with Cork Mental Health Foundation, and partnering with groups like Minding Creative Minds (see panel) as well as a number of civil-society organisations, the one-day festival stars an array of artists and performers across the park’s many nooks and crannies, as well as workshops, family activities, and a support hub where local mental-health groups will offer information and advice.

Among their number are singer-songwriter John Spillane, Leeside icons The Frank and Walters, Cork-based singer and music historian Karen Underwood, spoken-word artist Stephen James Smith, punk-poet Jinx Lennon, and more - plus teenage artists like Hollyhill-based girl group Misneach (pronounced ‘mish-nock’, the Irish for ‘courage’), and West Cork rapper Burkie, backed on the wheels of mechanised steel by the legendary Stevie G.

Speaking over Zoom amid the hustle and bustle of pre-festival preparations, organiser and artistic director Linda Plover is in the thick of it.

“Overwhelmed, in a really good way. The response last year was incredible - there was nearly 10,000 people there, and for an event to happen for the first time that's amazing in numbers, but more importantly, the feedback we got was brilliant. There were people in that park that got to meet up with all the mental health information stands, the real people, if you like, behind all the services. That's one of the big things that I'm trying to do here, is to let people know what's out there, and to meet people face to face in a very natural way.

“There wasn't necessarily the intention of making it annual, I wanted to do something that would promote mental health awareness and bring everybody together. But on the back of last year, everybody that was involved, thought wow, we just have to do this again, and we're very excited about bringing it back to Fitzgerald's Park again. The general public and those that were there last year already can see through social media, there's a bit of a buzz!”

The festival is a personal mission for Plover - it’s named for someone very close, and in seeking to reflect every aspect of the things that she loved in life, the line-up is eclectic and varied throughout - with the pursuit of joy being a common factor throughout the programming, as well as a motivator for making it available to the people of the city for free.

“I wanted to create an event where you're bringing top-quality music, and because of the nature of this event, it makes sense to have something that would be accessible to everybody, that there'd be nobody there that couldn't afford to go, and they get to see the likes of the Frank and Walters, John Spillane, Karen Underwood, Aoife Scott... so you have high profile artists, but then you have grassroots stuff, and it's just brilliant to create a platform for everyone to come and see it.

“You look at the (family-friendly programming), it's really important to make sure there's a whole programme where you've got the arts and crafts, the circus, the storytelling going on there as well. I literally just walk through the park and imagine how it will look, how it will sit, who will be playing... I've just kind-of got my little plan going myself,” says Plover with a smile.

That aspect of all this is perhaps something the local music community doesn’t discuss enough - the potential of Fitzgerald’s Park to host a big day out, building on community excursions like Joy in the Park, Africa Day, and others, as well as outdoor theatre laid on by the late, lamented Corcadorca company. Plover gets into the potential the space holds.

“Yeah, it's an absolutely fabulous space for this event, because I think being outdoors, and it's such a beautiful park as well, really lends itself to what I'm trying to achieve here. As a public space, and with its location, the park itself is absolutely stunning, the way that it's laid out, works very well with how I'm doing things.

“The council have been brilliant, in fairness, the park's very open to this, the calendar is certainly filling up, in terms of what's going on in the park, for any sort of family event. Bringing people into this beautiful open space, I think, is fantastic.”

Among the artists playing on the day will be none other than Dundalk punk-poet and provocateur Jinx Lennon, fresh off the release of new ‘Walk Lightly While the Jug is Full’. As someone who’s a keen observer of the external pressures and factors that inform mental-health issues, such as ongoing housing and healthcare crises and social issues like inequality and discrimination, he’s looking forward to being part of it.

“Giving something back is very important for me. Mental health would be a big issue for me, I think a lot about it, and amid all the crises, we're all very much aware of a lot of the stuff that's happening around the country, and the pressures people are feeling, the housing crisis, the cost of living.

“It's unconscionable, of the government, actually, just the way that they are dealing with it at the moment. There doesn't seem to be any guilt about it, it's just really "this is the way things are". There is just no connection between the people that live in gated communities, at the top of the hill, no empathy, 'I'm alright where I am', no connection between those people and the ordinary people.”

One man that would agree is singer, songwriter and housing campaigner Martin Leahy. A prolific musician and producer, he’s also renowned for his weekly journeys from Cork to Leinster House to sing protest song “Everyone Should Have a Home” outside, a weekly show of solidarity that’s seen him grab headlines, and the song be covered by a variety of artists and community groups.

“I've been speaking to a lot of people across the spectrum, people who are in homelessness, in terms of sleeping on the street, and then people who are what they call hidden homeless, y'know, people who are living in situations that are not ideal, living with their parents or friends.

“Those conversations have all been around mental health and how it's impacting them. I've been experiencing it myself as well, [not to the same extent as others], but I basically have an eviction notice looming over my head since I started the campaign myself. I've been reading more and being more engaged with this. I've become very aware of how it has been impacting my life.

“I play music, I record, and stuff like that, and it's completely affected my creativity in that way. You quickly realise that these things are turning in the back of your mind all the time and affecting you negatively, even when you're not fully aware of them yourself, that kind of insecurity and not being able to feel safe where you live. I'm delighted to be playing at this, then, because of its association with shining a light on mental health issues.”

Joining Leahy in his performance is singer and songwriter Leah Sohotra, currently working on new music after the crisis-era release of previous album ‘Breaded Crickets’.

“I'm really excited to be doing this, any events that draw attention to mental health awareness, they're the most important to me. Like what Martin's saying about the housing crisis, it's the same thing, take care of people, take care of their wellbeing, their health. I feel privileged to be part of this event. I think it's wonderful to be asked to do something like this, for something like this, and a lot of the music that I have reflects on loss, and friends that I've lost, so it's really a privilege and I'm looking forward to it so much.”

“Do come along, there is something for absolutely everybody,” concludes Plover. “We've put this on for you. Bring your friends and family, this event is for everybody. Not just for the entertainment, but also, whether you know somebody that might need a bit of help, or you might need help yourself, there's all these organisations that are there, and they're friendly faces.

“If you've ever been, at any point, trying to find some help, and you're Googling it, or you're picking up a phone, sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is talking to a stranger on the phone, and you can't see their face. Come to the park. It's very natural, you've got all this love... it could be the start of a journey.”

Joy in the Park happens all day this Sunday, July 22, at Fitzgerald’s Park in Cork City, in association with Cork Mental Health Foundation, Minding Creative Minds, and other community, state and entertainment-industry groups. Admission is free, for more information, see joyinthepark.com.

Jinx Lennon’s new album, ‘Walk Lightly When the Jug is Full’, is out now, while Martin Leahy’s next single, an Irish interpretation of socialist anthem ‘This Land is Your Land’, is available across streaming services from tomorrow.