Blindboy Boatclub from the Rubber Bandits appeared on Wednesday night's Tommy Tiernan Show where he impressed viewers with his views of mental health and articulate way of expressing himself.
Tiernan commended the artistic and performer for his "amazing passion" and says he is "concerned about the country", which led to Blindboy discussing his decision to tackle issues surrounding mental health and the manner in which he discusses it.
Wondering where the plastic bag idea came from? When Blindboy @Rubberbandits saw the percentage of men under 30 who followed him on social media he wanted to find a way to talk mental health and not be intimidating. The #TommyTiernan Show is on now. pic.twitter.com/UVn7Hv1MQY
— RTE One (@RTEOne) January 31, 2018
Blindboy said he wanted to do something about the mental health issues in Ireland, explaining: "Being from Limerick, Limerick's got the highest rate of suicide in the country, Limerick is still technically kind of in recession, unemployment, Limerick got a fair wallop off the recession and it was mainly people my own age.
"The recession would have hit when I was in my early 20s and half my friends went to Australia or the other half died, and the ones that didn't die were left with severe mental health issues because of lack of support systems and the pressures of their daily life and the lack of seeing a future.
"I just found myself looking at my Facebook and Twitter one day and seeing that something like 70% of men under 30 in the country follow us online and I was going, how can I bring some, especially the stuff I learned training to be a psychotherapist, how can I bring that to those people but do it in a medium that isn't intimidating, do it with a bag on my head, do it through a bit of craic."
He added: "I used to suffer unbelievable depression and anxiety and I came out the other side of it using psychological tools and I wouldn't mind people learning a bit of that because a lot of it you can get through self help."
Watch the full interview here on the RTÉ Player.
Viewers took to Twitter to say how impressed they were with the Blindboy interview, saying he was "very refreshing", "empathetic", and "very much on the ball".
Other commentators called for him to get his own TV show.
Blindboy needs his own show! Love his podcast, and enjoying his interview with @Tommedian , he speaks so well, and talks about mental health in a way that has never been spoken about before. Very refreshing.
— Aoife Griffin (@AoifeG) January 31, 2018
@Rubberbandits Blindboy what a terrific interview with @Tommedian great passion,wisdom and truth also. Fair play👏🏻🙌🏻
— Pj Malone (@pjmalone1990) January 31, 2018
Blindboy is making an awful lot of sense, his views on mental health are fascinating & very much on the ball. Fair play to him.#tommytiernanshow#blindboy@Tommedian @Rubberbandits
— Shane O'Connor (@muscles5781) January 31, 2018
Excellent discussion on Tommy Tiernan this evening about mental health with blind boy. Great job 👍🏼#CBT #HBCBT
— HB_CBTClinic (@HB_CBTClinic) January 31, 2018
Blindboy Boatclub is a bloody joy to listen to. 👌🏻#tommytiernan #blindboy @RTEOne
— Beckie Moore (@OptimusBeckster) January 31, 2018
@Rubberbandits well impressed with #blindboy on @Tommedian @rte tonight. He sure knows how to talk about mental health 👏 our government could learn a thing or two from you! #MentalHealthMatters
— Siobhán (@GallagherSivers) January 31, 2018
Fair play to blindboy @Rubberbandits. An immeasurably intelligent, caring, wise man. We should listen to him re mentall health #tommytiernan
— Anthony Madden (@antom1) January 31, 2018
Blindboy Boat Club on The Tommy Tiernan show. Intelligent. Empathetic. Real. Never fails to get you thinking. @Rubberbandits podcast is a must BTW #tommytiernan
— Nigel Dugdale (@nigeldugdale) January 31, 2018
The #tommytiernan show is brilliant tonight. Spotlight on mental health with @Rubberbandits and #nigelowens ... Never be afraid to talk! #mentalhealth #MentalHealthMatters #MentalHealthAwareness @PietaHouse
— robgrace (@robjamesgrace) January 31, 2018
One of the Rubber Bandits is on the Tommy Tiernan show and I'm gobsmacked by how well educated and well spoken this guy with a plastic bag on his face is... But still gas 😂 @rte
— Amy Leitch (@AmyKLeitch) January 31, 2018
Somebody give Blindboy Boatclub @Rubberbandits his own show.Honest to God,could listen to him all https://t.co/OTCRdKVF7m absolute tonic! #tommytiernan
— Margaret Murphy (@margaretb2010) January 31, 2018
If you have a minute throw on Rte one 🤙🏻 blindboy from the rubber bandits on and if there’s one person fit to make the Tommy tiernan show worth watching it’s him, just have a listen yourself #empathy #rubberbandits #blindboy #tommytiernan
— Diarmuids top qoutes ™ (@eugene_drum) January 31, 2018
Petition for blindboy to have his own weekly show on TV . He is inspirational. Such a positive role model. Could listen to him all day #tommytiernan
— Hannah Dillon (@hannaheileend) January 31, 2018
Rubber bandits discussing depression on The Tommy Tiernan show.. excellent perspective 👌well worth a watch.. stop the stigma
— Ciara Mc Evoy (@Ciaramcevoy2) January 31, 2018
Quality Tommy Tiernan show tonight with Blindboy & @Nigelrefowens 👏👏 #tommytiernan
— Kieran Mulcahy (@Mullzak) January 31, 2018
Compassion to oneself is a huge deal if you aren't used to it. Love Blindboy everytime he speaks his own truth. A wise fella! #tommytiernan
— Col Patterson (@ColPmusic) January 31, 2018
The Tommy Tiernan Show airs on Wednesdays, 9.35pm on RTÉ One.