Dare to Dream
PROJECT 5K

The crackling wood from the fire I huddled around, post-bone-rattling-surf, spoke in damp hisses, punctuating this frigid Welsh air as it snaked flames skyward. Defrosting my gloved hands, against the backdrop of blues, and wrapping my mind in a blanket of hopeful dreams, I stared into the amber embers, praying for answers.

Everything is a dream, and our thoughts, once concentrated and distilled into action become our reality. Dream kindly, with love.
It is only in the last few years that I have begun to make sense of who I am, what my role on this planet, in this lifetime, actually might be.

and how I can live my best life in a quest to become the fullest expression of my authentic self as possible. I believe that this, Project 5k, is my way of belonging and simultaneously giving back, I believe it is part of my journey, and one that can help the healing process, at a time when the world most needs it. I invite you to join me, to support me graciously as we learn about who we all are and the roles we all play in these times.

As a baby I was born with the wrong type of blood and had to be put into an incubator for the first two or three weeks of my existence, which some studies show can lead to attachment issues and emotional irregularity. Idiots, what do they know? I don't need them or anyone!!! (That's a joke by the way).

I don't remember much about my childhood, I do remember however, the feeling of being left out and of being the youngest of five. I remember discovering infinity trying to count myself to sleep one night and I also recall figuring out that if I could keep halving the distance of my finger to the concrete lamppost, mathematically, then surely, I could never actually touch anything and therefore there must be some kind of atomic dance that allows particle exchange to give the illusion of solidity, that was aged around six or perhaps eight years old. Finding out in your late 40's that you were kidnapped aged three-and-a-half, also puts a few more pieces of the jigsaw of life together.

Fast forward to the present day, and I'm sitting in my wine bar, it's a cold, wintery Tuesday afternoon, and I've just cycled in again because I can't afford to tax my car. I'm two months late on my rent for my business and have no idea how I'll make it through to the summer, that said I have a lot to be grateful for. My [rented] home is not being bombed, I have a good mind and I like to believe I am a kind person. I still want to do my part in making the world a kinder place, to enable people to become more self-sufficient and have more food security. This is part of my dream, and I'd like for you to help me build this dream.

My near-view focus is to get through to the summer, to earn enough to pay the money I owe to my suppliers, pay the backlog of rent and also keep the doors of The Gallery open, and, as my guests tell me, this really is a special place. It's a unique little café bar, where people relax and make friends and experience something that I believe is important in today's world, call it love if you will. I'd like your help and ask and invite you to join me and support me in building a dream.

Below are the before and after pictures of The Gallery, an unused building in a dead alleyway, that I transformed and breathed life into, and in the process helped change the face of natural wine in Ireland, promoting Irish products and supporting other small-scale Irish businesses in the process. For less than the price of a dinner for two, you get a signed copy of my first book and also a 1/5000 chance to win a week-long holiday in Northern Italy, in a house you will help to materialise.

Join Project 5k and let's see where it takes us.
The Gallery Before and After Photos
Invest in this brilliant community project for less than the cost of dinner for two!
Project 5k Timeline
1
Launch the new Gallery website & events schedule
I have been working non-stop to update and redesign my business website, in order to reflect just how far I have come over the last eight years and to highlight the achievements that hard work and many, many long hours have accomplished. I invite you to learn about my projects and help support me in my dreams, as I help support others.
2
Launch The Gallery Podcast and Project 5k
Over the last few years, I have been collecting and recording images, video and audio to put together the bones of a podcast series. I feel that I have something valuable to share with you, and with the world and I ask you to support me in this process and join in the stories, humour and human-kindness that I aim to promote. Thank you.
3
Launch the official Kickstarter P5K campaign
I will launch the official crowd-funding campaigns, across suitable platforms, this will increase the reach of the project and ideally help fund two other community-based projects that are designed to address food sovereignty and help local people build food security and community-driven food and sustainability.
Invest in Project 5k
Your support is extremely fortuitous, thanking you with kindness.