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Brent spoke from the heart of his own struggles with mental health and how the Samaritans saved his life. His project, Elephant In the Room, came about as a result of him seeing the Cats in Kilkenny created with the Art of fundraising and tourism. In collaboration with Dave Southern, they came up with a four-foot elephant which artist are invited to paint. Two of the elephants were in the Pembroke on Saturday — a tribute to Charlie Bird by Niall O’ Loughlin and Pepsi by local artist Eoghan O’ Driscoll, both of which have returned to Dublin for an exhibition in July.
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One of the elephants had been on display in the local Samaritans shop on Kieran Street in recent days. They will be auctioned at a later date with proceedings going to charity. Brent spoke passionately of his dream to put conversation about mental health at the forefront of society.
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“The elephants are everywhere,” Brent said. “Everyone has something in their lives that is sometimes difficult to talk about openly and honestly. We need to get people to talk and to reach out for help, that it is a brave thing to do and not a sign of weakness.”
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Brent urged everyone to see the elephant and know that they are in a safe supportive environment where there is hope and care. He asked that Kilkenny try to keep Eoghan’s Pepsi Elephant where it belongs — in this city. Eoghan is a proud, local artist who has endured much in his life, his work represents hope and living every day with purpose and pride. He received a standing ovation following his inspirational speech which was at times a personal story. A draw was held for the gala raffle, ,with the tickets drawn by Brent. The evening was finished to the fantastic sounds of The Uptown band which did an opening set of Bond-themed classics, specially rehearsed for the occasion.