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Tune in… to Radio Snowflake which is apparently I
reland’s original Christmas radio station. Whether it foresaw the double meaning of its name when it was being coined is a moot point. radiosnowflake.ie ROADMAP Michael McDermott Upside down… whether you are trapped in the seasonal hell hole of Kris Kindle or lumped with the idea that jollity should be part of your gifting strategy, then thank the Upside Down wine glass for a moment of mirth. £9.99 findmeagift.co.uk 10 “Warrior. Soldier. Survivor. Mentor. Messer. LOLer. Lifer. Sharer. Giver. Laugher. Lover. Power. Sister. Mother. Nothing quite covers it. There is no fitting enough title nor enough words to describe the unimaginable force that is Fiona Cribben and I say IS because there is too much energy and love and inspiration from her that is coursing through us all and keeping us upright. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; energy can only be transferred or changed from one form to another. I feel her still with all of us. I hear her laugh and feel her craic. No one made me laugh like she did. Nothing was ever covered up or held back. Nothing was off the table. Everything always up for discussion. I never have known someone I could sit and cry with and within seconds be in stitches laughing. So many people reached out to me this week to share their condolences. So many people said, ‘I only met her once or twice but she had a huge impact on me’. The first time you met Fiona you knew precisely who she was. It was incredible. The hand she was dealt was crucifying and unfair and yet can anyone else say they know someone else who would describe the year they were diagnosed with a terminal illness the “best year of her life”? What she learned about herself and life and love in that year changed her and all of us forever. She loved ferociously. She laughed whole heartedly and empathised sincerely every day. Fiona Cribben; grá mo chroí, there won’t be a day that passes that I don’t smile out loud when I think of love and laughs we shared. I love the bones of you and always will. We are volcanoes.” – Sally Foran Fiona: Renaissance Woman by Ava Henson (aged 14) was a finalist in the Zurich Young Portrait Prize which runs in the Millennium Wing Studio of the National Gallery until Sunday January 12. FIONA CRIBBEN: AN APPRECIATION 02.02.1978 - 20.11.19 BUTTERFLY The Cuban drag scene continues to be ripe for documentation and exploration. A few years ago, director Paddy Breathnach and writer Mark O’Halloran delved into the glitter midst the crumbling backdrop in Viva. Now, Irish director/photographer Joshua Gordon focuses on Cuba’s nightlife and transgender communities in a short film called Butterfly which extends into a collaboration offering up a nine-piece capsule collection by cult London streetwear label Aries, but also a book and exhibition. Gordon spent a month in the capital earning the trust of his subjects who became part of his evocative and saturated portraits. “When you’re shooting a community like this you have to be mindful of how they want to be perceived. I don’t think it’s fair for me to go to Cuba and tell them what I want to see. It was a big thing to make sure that I could make something they were proud of.” IG: joshua_gordon ariesarise.com/product/butterfly-book/multi TREE-IFIC If one person represents 2019, it is Greta Thunberg and the snowball effect of her climate strike marches. Hopefully, it will mark the start of a real turning point in our addressing of the stark reality facing the world. Closer to home, Grown are encouraging more eco-conscious consideration in our gifting habits. Their ‘Gift of Tree’ card will see them plant an indigenous Irish tree such as willow, alder, birch and other native species on your behalf. It will be rooted in Lackamore Co. Clare and you will receive a handmade 5x5’’ blind embossed gift card, written on each card is a reference number as to when and where the tree will be planted. grown.ie/gift-a-tree, €12