a sample of photos taken on the day

Mad Pride Day a great success

Fitzgerald’s Park was filled with the sound of laughter with over 5000 people throughout the day enjoying the fun, music and food.  Stay tuned for pics and stories…..

John Mc Carthy

Bio coming soon….

Marketing

Met today wth our new marketing co. To design logo posters etc.should have a result in a week to 10 days from now . will keep you posted

john

Patrons of Mad Pride Ireland

Just a list of some of the friends of the festival and great patrons they are indeed 

 Mary Davis: Special Olympics

Caroline Casey: Ashling Foundation

Tony Brauders: Cork City Council

Gerry Kelly and Evelyn Grant: Cork School of Music

Sean Coughlan: CEO SEI

Prof. Pat Bracken: Consultant Psychiatrist

Prof. Chris Stephenson: College of Nursing DCU

Paddy McGowen: Lecturer College of Nursing DCU

Declan Ryan: One Foundation

Kathy Sinnott: MEP

Sen. Dan Boyle

Mary Maddock: Mindfreedom Ireland

Ruari McKerinan: Spunout.ie

Danny McCoy: IBEC

Jimmy McCarthy: Musician

Freddie White: Musician

Media partners are Newstalk Radio and The Evening Echo

Our Educational Partners are St. Johns College, Cork

 

Latest on the Programme

Okay so, Tonynho and the Fire Angels can’t make it but weve have the Legendary Freddie White as well as the Dizzy Blues Band to make up for it. Bord Gais have kindly stepped in to help so things are just getting better and better……….

Listen into George Hook this evening on Newstalk and catch John McCarthy on Mad Pride.

Jimmy McCarthy is also on as a patron of the event and we might even get a tune out of him….who knows…  

     

Press launch yesterday, 28th April

So Mad Pride Ireland is officially up and running. Mary Davis (Special Olympics) was there to get proceedings underway as were the Cork City Council, Gerry and Evelyn Grant from the School of Music, clowns from Cork Circus and of course John McCarthy organiser of the event. The launch was held the boardwalk along the famous river Lee and was witnessed by many a bemused passer by as the afternoon progressed. There is a video and radio documentary being made about the event; behind the scenes, fly on the wall, etc and so there was much toing and froing between radio mics and video cameras. All in all a successful launch and a good portent of things to come     

Mad Pride Ireland 2008

 

Venue: Fitzgeralds Park, Cork City, Ireland

Date: Sunday, 8th June, 2008

Time: 1 – 5pm

On Sunday, June 8^th 2008 Cork will host the first Annual International Mad Pride Day.  A fun filled day for all the family at Fitzgerald’s Park. 

This important event will be highlighting the normality of Madness to the wider community in an effort to break down barriers and open minds to the need to address one of the country’s hidden problems.

So what is Mad Pride about? 

Mad Pride is about fun, community, family and facing up to the fact that Mental Illness does not have to be a lonely or hopeless affair.

The day will include: normality tests involving bananas and rubber chickens, roaming groups of clown doctors,  live music, street theatre, circus and walkabout acts, chill out areas, games, storytelling and face painting for the kids as well as a fantastically delicious food market  

Mad Pride is not about bombarding people with pamphlets extolling the virtues of one approach over another it is more to show the world that Madness is an everyday occurrence that affects us all and can be dealt with openly, lovingly and without stigma.

 

Who we have so far….

So far we have confirmed the following performers and companies for Mad Pride Ireland 2008:

Cork Circus doing a series of specially commissioned performances

The Gombeen Men from Galway performing the Hussey Brothers and The Butcher of Ballyowndere

The wonderful Damien Punch doing 2 solo acts; Le Critique and the Sun Seeker

Jandeman one of Irelands premier street artists

The gifted folk singer Ger Wolfe

Tonynho Dos Santos and the Fire Angels

The Clubmen Swing band

South East Fun and Games running a series of kids games, sttory telling, balloon modelling and face painting

Dowtcha Puppets doing a kids puppet workshop

Local Cork producers selling everything from venision burgers to Crepes and smoothies to coffee

 We’ll keep updating you with whats going on and will have lots of info as the day draws closer  

Grief of being alone by John McCarthy