My journey with Spiritualism began quite unexpectedly when I was 21 years old.

A friend had recommended that I visit Belfast Spiritualist Church after I’d begun to have experiences I couldn’t explain. I went along to my first Sunday service, returned the following evening for their awareness class, and by the end of that class I’d been invited to join one of the church’s Tuesday night development circles.

I couldn’t have known then just how important that church, or the people I would meet there, would become to me.

Finding my spiritual family

For five years, Tuesday night development circle became a constant part of my life. I was incredibly fortunate to develop under two wonderful teachers, Dorothy Byrne and Shellie Nicoll, alongside a group of people who became my spiritual family. Even during a period when circumstances meant our circle had to meet away from the church, we continued sitting together every week.

Belfast was where I developed as a medium and, just as importantly, where I found my place as a Spiritualist.

I’m enormously grateful to the many people from those early years who encouraged me and gave me opportunities, including Angela Dunlop and Claire Ziritt.

Further afield

While still living in Belfast, I made contact with the Spiritualist Union of Ireland and Irish Spiritualist Federation and began regularly travelling back home to Dublin to work with them.

Other doors gradually opened. Mediums Brian Lynch and Sharon Patterson kindly helped create opportunities for me in Scotland before I eventually moved there, and over the years my mediumship has taken me beyond the UK and Ireland to Canada, Germany and Iceland.

Those experiences taught me something I’ve never forgotten – no matter where you go in the world, and no matter what language is being spoken around you, working with Spirit is still the same.

Mediumship is only one part of Spiritualism for me. I love the whole experience of a Spiritualist service – the address, the singing, the friendships and feeling of community, as well as the mediumship.

For me, at its best, a Spiritualist service is a Celebration of Spirit.

My goal when I demonstrate is to provide proof that the human soul lives on beyond the physical body, but I also believe there is room for personality and humour… I’m Irish, after all!

Still learning

After stepping away from regular public work for a period while life took me in other directions, returning to demonstrating has reminded me just how much I love it.

More than 20 years after walking into my first development class, I still consider myself a student.

I’ve never measured this journey by titles, recognition or how busy a calendar might be. What matters to me is continuing to learn, working within the ethics and professionalism that this work demands, and enjoying the opportunities I’m fortunate enough to be given.