'It Comes To Everyone' is a work by Melanie De Matos Wilmot that centres around the theme of loss. I found this one really moving and it was one that I sat and experienced for longer than the rest of the artworks because it was a really immersive experience. When you sit on the chair facing the little screen, the visuals are combined with the sound of someone breathing, someone breathing fast because they are distressed. The booklet states that Melanie asks participants to think of a loved one they have lost. It was really powerful and I found myself glued to the screen, taking it all in.



After that exhibition, I actually had planned to get the bus home to Kilkenny and see my parents for the weekend, but instead, I was invited along to an impromptu gig in Steamboat Records to see none other than fabulous Irish band Le Galaxie! I had never been to this particular record store before and I was pleasantly surprised! It is a little musical heaven tucked away on the end of the Dock Road, facing out into the river Shannon. 

When you go upstairs there are racks and racks of records, ranging from the latest vinyl release to old favourites that your grandparents used to listen to. Perfect for the person who likes a good root! As for Le Galaxie's performance, I was in awe! I am ALL for supporting Irish music. They really got the crowd going and I was enraptured by the synths they incorporated into their songs. I found myself feeling really proud of the Irish music industry and all they've accomplished. For a tiny country, we sure do have a lot of really creative people living on our shores!



Yesterday I ended up attending a Limerick Together For Yes event in Pharmacia, a fundraiser for the Repeal the 8th Campaign where the likes of TPM, Gadget & The Cloud played. It was a really low key night out, but I was glad to be out of the house and I also got my hands on a Repeal LK badge which I wore today. There's still time to register to vote, so head over to checktheregister.ie to see what option is for you!

This week was a tough week I have to say, but attending all these lovely events and seeing art in so many different forms really helped a lot. I highly recommend you take yourself on a little sightseeing trip of your city any time you feel a bit down!

Second year was different. I was different. I don't feel embarrassed saying that I was really unhappy for most of my second year in university. I kinda isolated myself a lot from the people who cared about me. I had to figure myself out again, just as I'd thought I'd found my little niche. I suppose life is all about experimenting and by the second semester of second year I found myself the deputy editor of An Focal, the student newspaper and with it a lot of new friends. I visited the Burren so many times and wrote thousands and thousands of words in that semester alone. A lot of people came and went in that semester but I didn't mind, it was all a learning experience.

In the summer of 2016 I found myself on a plane to the USA and I lived there for three WHOLE months. I still pinch myself thinking about it. It was there I started to notice that things weren't so bad after all and I had lots more to discover about the world. It sounds cheesy but I really really started to come out of my shell again. I then moved to Belgium for five months. Walking those streets is where I started to really feel happy again, I used to walk into Ghent city centre and notice all the little things that made me happy. For example, how when the sun comes out the world looks that little bit better and you feel better on the inside too.That brings me to 2017, where I was in my second semester of third year. I found myself a bit lost again, but musically I found myself in the COOLEST of places. I started to go to Pharmacia and it has to be one of my favourite spots to go to on a night out. Costellos will forever have a special place in my heart, sticky floors and all!

In the latter part of 2017, I found myself surrounded by really talented people and I am still in awe of these people, how they all express themselves through art in different ways. Composers, painters, singers, drummers, sound engineers, DJs - you name it, I met them all! I went to so many gigs; listened to some lovely drum and bass, tried my hand at dancing to disco and even hip-hop!



In the last year alone I've met so many new people! Life always brings little surprises too. Some people have come into my life out of nowhere and I've found myself caring a lot more than I expected to. It's completely taken me by surprise. It's one of those things where you meet people and you just know they're going to leave a lasting impact, whatever happens. I'm glad I've met these people because whether they've been male or female, they've made me learn a little more about myself and I'll be forever grateful.

I now know that I'd rather go DIY LK's events than head out to a nightclub because I know that discovering a new band is much more exciting to me than a jam-packed night. But know that it's okay if that's what you like to do.  I own a lot of shirts and 18-year-old Eilís would never have worn them, but that's the beauty of it. I now am part of the cat-loving community and I never ever thought I'd say that, shout out to Little Smalls for changing my mind! I pay more attention to drums within a song, it's something I've picked up along the way. I am vegetarian, who would have thought? So many things have changed and are changing.