variation in styles and amounts of different music on there is huge. Walk into my Barber Shop, the walls are adorned with black and white pictures of many different musicians and there is about 6 or 7 different instruments hanging which shows clearly that even in business, my mind is never far from my love of music, art and expression. Music is the one thing that never gets me stressed. After a tiring busy day, the first thing I'll do when I get home is pick up one of my guitars and play and sing for an hour. Along with utilising natures most relaxing plant ;-) it's my biggest stress relief. The whole Epilepsy thing is directly affected by this. I have Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and these types of seizures are triggered specifically by poor sleep. When I'm stressed I don't sleep well and this is generally what causes my seizures. But at the same time, I try not to let the Epilepsy dictate my life. I've met too many people who complain and moan about the restrictions it places on them and I see how they live a dull life and let it control their personality. Personally this boils my blood. I try to live my life and do things as though I don't have epilepsy and yes, in all honesty, this way of thinking has caused problems with my condition and I generally keep the implications of living like this hidden. But at the same time by living my life like this, I have experienced many different things in life. I have lived in different places around the world and experienced life and different cultures and done many things that I wouldn't have experienced otherwise. Many people (in particular friends and family) think my attitude to my condition is a bit selfish because my condition also affects them, but without sounding cocky or childish, I'm the only person that can truly understand the ins and outs of living my life like this. Put yourself in my situation; I could've stayed in Ireland and never developed as a musician, sat working every day in a boring job behind a desk and living a dull boring life. This is what would have played out if I had let my epilepsy dictate my life. Instead I have become a Master Scuba Diver, I have lived and worked in Holland, England, Thailand, South Africa and Mauritius. I have opened my own business, became a musician, released an EP, played some big music festivals and travelled all around the world. Okay, I'm always at risk of an Epileptic seizure and I am covered in the evidence of different falls after seizures at different stages in my life, my jaw is wired together with titanium wires and held together at the chin by a titanium plate and since being in Mauritius I have had about 40 stitches in total since I've been here. But I have learned to manage things as best I can. I'm lucky in the sense that JME seizures happen within an hour of waking and this allows me to manage things more easily. In the last year I have also had some good advice from a Mauritian Doctor friend who specialises as a Neurologist which has helped me a lot and in the last year I've gone from more than 10 seizures in 12 months to only 2 in the last twelve months between February 2015 and now. By this time next year I'm aiming for none!
You enjoy Irish Folk music and of which you perform, can you describe a little about your influences and the style?
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