First Fortnight

A mental health festival for the whole country.

Now in its tenth year, First Fortnight is an arts-based mental health charity that organises a festival in the first two weeks of the year aimed at challenging the stigma around mental health. In January 2019 First Fortnight with the support of the Creative Ireland Programme staged the European mental health arts festival in Ireland with over 150 events happening around the country.

Cistin St Pats Sacreblues Band Photo Credit Kieran Frost

JP Swaine

“The challenges mental health poses to society are set down in well- established patterns First Fortnight is here at the beginning of every year to unapologetically disrupt those patterns and ask for more”

This was a first for Ireland. Our audiences enjoyed mental health-related music, theatre, film and spoken word from 16 nations (Ireland, Hungary, Scotland, England, Wales, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Romania, Greece, Italy and Lithuania) all programmed with an aim to start 2019 by challenging mental health stigma and using arts events to create open discussion and understanding of mental health problems.

Where Theres A Will Live Wood Quay Photo Credit Kieran Frost

First Fortnight is a mental health arts charity that began as a kitchen conversation 10 years ago and has grown from one event to more than 150 events nationwide.

For more information visit First Fortnight