Following the murder of a local journalist in Derry, Aodhán set up the social media page ‘Derry Footage’ to share stories and encourage other young people to speak up against wrongdoings.
Headliners NI
Following the murder of a local journalist in Derry, Aodhán set up the social media page ‘Derry Footage’ to share stories and encourage other young people to speak up against wrongdoings. Despite having struggled in mainstream schooling, eventually being withdrawn from mainstream education after 70 referrals and 8 suspensions, Aodhán overcame his problems and still managed to achieve nine GCSEs.
Then, in 2019, Aodhán lost his grandmother, his mother’s partner and his own mother in just a few months. At the age of 17, Aodhán found himself on his own, with no legal guardian or financial stability. But he refused to let these tragedies crush him. It was while studying creative media in college that he created ‘Derry Footage’ that gave him a chance to create a sense of community and togetherness in Derry and share untold stories that deserved greater attention.
In 2019, he released the short film ‘Impairment’ to bring attention to the recurrent problem of drink-driving and was shortlisted in several film festivals. In 2020, he released ‘Overcoming adversity as a community’ which showcases the unique sense of community in Derry and how we can pull together during times of crisis.
His photography series covering the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Derry was also shared by mainstream media outlets such as the BBC.
