We jump in a bit manic, introducing our friend Ross. A chef, a poet and a writer.

He discusses his love of the metal / alternative fashion and aesthetic and how that introduced him to the world of tattoos.

We discuss what it means to push the boundary of the “fringe”, especially as the fringe comes more into the mainstream. We talk about the “class” system of tattoos and how ego plays its part in it.

Ross’s first tattoo is about one of his all-time literature love of The Lord of the Rings. We dive into owning who you are, so it can’t be used as a weapon against you. We also nerd out about The Lord of the Rings and what it means to us and the broader themes that most LOTR fans appreciate.

His second tattoo is also dedicated to his love of literature, but this one ties to HP Lovecraft and Ross’s love of Horror.

We finish the episode discussing the value of silly tattoos and that it’s also good to be impulsive and have a laugh.

If you’d like to check out some of Ross’s work, check out

@mcconnuibh_poetry

Today we start our episode discussing the launch of our podcast, and giving quick shout outs and thank yous to a few special people Darren & Laura.

There’s been a bit of confusion about what the podcast is really about, as a lot of people mention the tangent that go “off topic”. Yes, this podcast is about tattoos mainly, but it’s also about the people, life stories, experiences, opinions and philosophies of the people behind the tattoos. Getting to know the characters who chose to imprint things into their skin and remember them forever.

In our feedback, Spud got a lot of compliments on his higher self tattoo… so we investigate the further.

We discuss walking the path, and what it means.

We then talk about the addictive nature of victimhood, and how tho get out of it. We then move into the energy of gratitude, and Giada shares about her Gratitude tattoo.

We move into the concept of Momento Mori, the stoic premise of thinking on thy death.

Spud shares a story about his motor cycle accident where he nearly lost his head, and another time he was nearly crushed by a 4 wheeler.

Giada shares her near death experience in a snow storm in California’s Tahoe mountains with her cousin Amadea, of which they both got tattoos to commemorate.

After our back and forth story telling of some of our near death experiences, Giada discusses a bit about her paranormal experiences, the tattoo that protects her in her work with the paranormal and shares a poem she wrote that is commemorated in that tattoo.

Today we have the one and only Catherine Fleming gracing the In The Skin podcast.

Catherine is basically like family to us, she is an incredible artist, and a dear friend.

We start out discussing her art, the struggles of being an artist, and we may or may not devise a plan to make her a top tier successful artist in her lifetime.

We discuss the inspiration for her first tattoo coming from her favourite TV show and more specifically, her favourite character and how it ties to her Confirmation in a blasphemous way.

We then discuss a tattoo Catherine has been planning for years that ties her love of an obscure Disney film and some lyrics from a classic Pink Floyd tune that is meaningful for all of us.

We move on to her Master and Margarita tattoo, Catherines favourite novel of all time, a tattoo of the moon and 3 shadowy characters. She gives a bit of background, its ties to some popular culture and explains her love for it.

Catherine tells of the history of its publication, and Giada discusses a similar origin story for the Bach Remedies.

Giada then awkwardly transitions into asking Spud about his sun tattoo. Spud shares about missing the sun from back home, having grown up in the desert.

Giada shares about her Una Sola tattoo, the logo of the podcast, and the moon in her raccoon tattoo.

We then discuss parents and their reactions to our tattoos and piercings. We talk about our alternative teenage selves and what we loved and fixated on at that time.

We spend a lot of time on piercings, the pros and cons and our experiences with them.

Catherine talks about her thigh band tattoo and the pain of it.

We then discuss our use of and love safety pins, the self-harm markings and using them in our fashion sense as preteens.

We discuss Giada’s idea for a garter tattoo she will never get, and how it ties to her childhood, which leads us into discussing cottage core.

We shortly onto the topics of face tattoos, and then digress into the “end times” conspiracies and kindly asking the Billionaire Elite to feck off or maybe put their money to good by ending world hunger and maybe buying some of Catherine’s art.

This episode is in loving memory of Catherine’s cat Hansel, who sadly passed away shortly after this recording.

Who is Catherine?

Catherine Fleming, a 28-year-old self-taught artist from Spiddal in Co. Galway, has an artistic practice driven by a deep fascination with mental health and its impact on all aspects of life, from the physical to the social. Her oil painting practice began to focus on the theme of mental health as a result of her own experience with panic disorder. She found that art was the most effective method of communicating the maladaptive consequences of her disorder, and creating paintings provided a sense of catharsis that profoundly impacted her journey to recovery.

Over the years, her practice has evolved while still revolving around mental health. She developed a keen interest in how facial expressions can often mask emotions, leading her to often omit the faces of the subjects in her paintings to reveal the true nature of their inner experiences.

In 2023, she collaborated with Dr. Jennifer Cook, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Birmingham, on a project where she created a piece of artwork in response to Dr. Cook's research on the physical manifestations of emotions. This project allowed her to see the potential of art as a vehicle for communication and education, which has continued to inform her practice.

Currently, she is working with the members of the Neurodivergent Society at the University of Galway on an artistic project revolving around the use of fidget toys as a method of self-soothing, also known as stimming. As someone with a history of anxiety, stimming is a mechanism she uses daily, which drew her to work with the society. Over the last year, she has been creating a large-scale painting of the hands of fifteen members of the society using these fidgets, which will be unveiled in the University of Galway Art Gallery in March 2024.

How to find her:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/catherineflemingart/

I’ll admit, this episode was a lot of laughs, but we didn’t stay on the topic of tattoos very well.

Today we have a chat with Bryan Chisholm aka BAM, a well known and widely recognised artist who’s art can be found on murals and in pubs all around Galway city.

BAM is originally from St. James Jamaica, and tells us about his early years growing up there. He tells us about growing up with keloid skin, and what that meant for his ability for self-expression, and he tells us about his polarised perspectives on snakes.

He gives us a bit of history about the cross overs between Jamaican and Irish culture. Mind-blowing if you ask me…

When we eventually get back to the subject of tattoos, we speculate on the first tattoos people would have gotten. We discuss scarifications, and how we would have done these things as kids.

We discuss all manner of strange concepts, like what earth is, what it is to be human, and how to interact with other humans.

I’ll be honest, we don’t do a great job in this episode of staying on topic. Tattoos take a back seat to other philosophical ramblings about trust, faith, and Jamaican culture.

We discuss the pros and cons of bartering for tattoos, and the different forms of trust. We talk about what constitutes a dirty fight, the importance of communication and why you should avoid fights at all costs, especially if you’re pretty.

For anyone looking to find BAM’s art or online services, go to:

Website: oddjobsgalway.com

Instagram: @bamartiste

Today we have Steven Kane on the show.

We start by talking about his early life being a Jack of all Trades, and his many inspirations that showed him that was the path for him.

He speaks about being a holiday rep, and how he was introduced to other cultures and their expressions of tattoos, as where he came from, only criminals and low life had tattoos.

Giada shares the philosophy behind her very first tattoo, which relates to Steven’s story about his friend having kids young and the freedoms lost when one decides to take such a path.

We take a tangent about dandelions and what an incredible plant it is, and the benefits of natural medicines.

We reminisce about the Salthouse, a beloved pub in Galway where Steven worked. Giada shares about her Jellyfish tattoo that is loosely tied to the Salthouse.

Steven finally starts talking about his tattoos. He starts with one that is similar to Giada’s first tattoo. He believes in the power of curiosity, open mindedness and asking questions, so he has a number of question marks.

He compares life and society to a cage, the bills and commitments that chain you down in life. His cage tattoo is about recognising your cage, building your cage, accepting your cage and choosing your cage.

Steven shares about one of his sillier tattoos he got on a whim. He goes on to explain his love of Urdu and Arabic script and the tattoos he has in that style. The privacy and beauty of it.

We divert into a few random tangents, all funny and interesting topics.

Who is Steven Kane?

Steven Kane is a dreamer at heart, he believes the adventures we have, the people we love, the dreams we chase, the laughter we generate, the lives we touch and the people we inspire is the true meaning of one’s life.

Steven’s own tattooed journey is symbolic of this, to permanently mark oneself with not only artistic expression, the visual beauty but meaning and best of all invoke questions. Steven feels that tattoos should at the very

least strike up good conversation but at their best make people question not only the tattoos meaning but how the tattoos engages with them.

Steven has never felt settled in any one job or position in his working career, the pursuit of contentment within the work place has always eluded him, from “delivery driver/ taxi driver/ night club security/ holiday rep/ bar

manager/ brewery & distillery manager/ brand ambassador/ barber and a few more to come. He once thought this to be a bad thing as a younger man but in his later years has seen it as a strength rather than a weakness. Forever moving, always evolving and finding depths to skill sets he never knew he possessed has kept him young of heart and mind and always hunger to learn more, to one day find away to bring all his skills together is

the ultimate goal. The pursuit of financial wealth is no longer the over all driving factor in his life. Steven now has a strong passion for self sustainability to one day have small holdings where health, growing food and personal development become his wealth. “Dreams never die”

Today we have our first guest! Joy Cassidy O’Keeffe is a bit of a celebrity around Galway. She is a Jazz singer, busker, and has a past life in interior decorating.

We begin our conversation with Joy’s inspiration of the alternative folk she met in her early travels, her journey into becoming “alternative” and how she wound up with a bald head.

We discuss walking the line between creative expression and being a professional, which leads us into tattoos.

Joy talks about the worst pain for a woman, how she commemorated it with her first tattoo and how knowing that pain gave her the courage to step into the world of busking.

I’ve known Joy a long time, and conversations like these can really remind you how there’s still so much you don’t know, even about your closest friends.

We lament together about the pain of calf tattoos. Spud shares his calf tattoo experience and its various meanings.

Joy talks about how her tattoos, while very meaningful to her, they are also very obvious. There’s not a lot of hidden meanings in her tattoos.

We take the opportunity to give a PSA about tattoo etiquette. The fundamentals of it are, DO NOT TOUCH people without their consent.

Joy shares about one of her best friends, Cat, who was in a coma for months, and how staying at Cat’s hospital beside for months ultimately brought her back to Galway after leaving for Waterford in 2020.

We discuss our chosen family bonds and Joy talks about resilience and her tipping point with her mental health and how she “bounces back” from negative circumstances and is able to reinvent herself through accountability and the radical ownership of her sh!t.

We discuss discernment, what it means to be a good friend, and what it means to have thick skin and be yourself unapologetically.

Today we start out talking about our names and how people typically interact with our names. Spud maybe gets a bit heated.

Then we discuss Giada’s work as a Remedial therapist and how she protects herself doing it. She talks about Angels, her beliefs in them and the symbols associated with them.

We go on to talk about Spud’s upbringing in the Christian church and his understanding of what the Living Word is and where it comes from.

Giada talks about growing up Roman Catholic and her A+ perspective of the Divine.

Giada shares about her infinite egg tattoo.

We end off by nerding out, a bit, about the benefits of jumping into the ocean.

Today’s episode is about obstacles.

Giada talks about a little tattoo she has which talks about keeping things into perspective.

Giada then shares the story of the adventure behind her wrist tattoos.

Spud reflects on the story and gives his insights on the value of adventure and trusting the universe to provide along the way.

Spud shares his experiences with homelessness and being “ill prepared”. We reflect on our story of being robbed in Lisbon and how we survived.

Giada shares her crystal tattoo and how it encapsulates the experience of meeting Spud and everything that came with it.