By Andy Spearman
I’ve heard thousands of speeches in my time, but very few of them ever stuck with me, but when Janelle McEnteggart stood up last night to introduce a photographic exhibition called “Reddoor women, a portrait of Strength”, in the Highlanes Gallery, I was gripped from the moment she started to speak.
“My name is Janelle” she said, “I am peer worker in the Seeking Safety project at the Reddoor Project. Orla (Walsh) asked me to talk to you about my lived experience and journey. Because Orla said I was powerful!
“My instinct told me to run but today I don’t run, today I lean into the uncomfortable, today I push myself to be the best version of me possible.
“This took years …actually most of my life to do. Five years ago if you asked me to stand here my first question would have been Why? Who wants to listen to me? “I have nothing to offer anyone, I’m a mess.”
“In 2018 I made the best decision of my life, I double parked and ran into the Reddoor and said the words that saved me: I NEED HELP.
“From that day on I had support that was non-judgmental, challenging and unwavering. For the first time in my life I was working on me, I was investing in my dreams my happiness and building my confidence.
“Growing up l was never allowed to be me, or celebrated for that. As a mother who adored and cherished her children, I forgot to or did not know how to do that for myself. I had no photos of me anywhere and I hated mirrors because l did not want to see myself.
“The work I did in the Reddoor brought me back to me, I followed my dream went back to school, achieved a level 6 and 7 in addiction studies, took part in plays and made a rule that I said “YES” to everything!
“Slowly, with time and support, l came back to me and now I love me! Today I am here to see my portrait in the Highlanes Gallery with my children present, today I work full time supporting people who, like me five years ago, asked for help, the circle is full, as is my heart.”
Janelle was a hard act to follow, and there was hardly a dry eye in the house, but the Voices of the Boyne Community Women’s Choir lifted everyone’s heart to new heights (see above).
“The Reddoor project works with the most inspiring, brave, resilient women and we decided to capture these women on international women’s day 2024 so we invited the amazing photographer Jenny Callanan to hold a portrait session” said Orla Walsh.
Following the shoot JJ Harington from Fighting Words was invited to host a creative writing workshop during which the women who were photographed wrote their thoughts and these appear along with the images on display.
“The completed work gives people a glimpse of what resilience, determination, nurture, heartache, hope, and strength present in the women we surround ourselves with daily. For one day women took time to recognise and see ourselves, the result is powerful.”
