Stories of Men: Beneath the Surface

Mark had spent many years working as a traffic police officer. During this time, he had experienced countless tragic sights. His response to these had been to bottle up his feelings. This had led to him becoming desensitised and uncaring. Dedicated counselling had been required to help Mark remove the barriers that had prevented him from dealing with the pain that had built inside. When experienci...

Dale Pollitt was 17 years old and appeared to be going nowhere. He’d just dropped out of school and was working at KFC. Like so many teenagers on the estate in which he lived, he spent most of his spare hours smoking weed and playing computer games. But one day he would receive some tragic news that would change his entire outlook on life. He received a phone call from his mum telling him that he...

Steve seemed to have a charmed life. After graduating from university, he began travelling around Europe. He then found himself settling at a holiday resort and, in a few short years, went from being the cleaner to becoming the Area Manager. He was living the dream and making the most of what life had to offer. But one day everything would change for good. He was visiting a friend in Germany as pa...

 Sam was 27 years old and in the midst of embarking upon his American adventure. He had just arrived in New York and was meeting up with some friends he’d made online to help him stay awake and beat the jet-lag. After a meet-up involving the consumption of copious amounts of hotdogs and beer, Sam began to feel very queasy. He went to the bathroom but the feelings of pain would not subside. Four y...

Nick Danziger is an award-winning photographer. He is also a filmmaker and travel writer. His adventures abroad began at a very young age. Nick was 13 and living in Switzerland when he told his parents that he was going to travel to Paris. Nick’s parents did not take their son particularly seriously but little did they know that he had a plan in mind. He had packed some basic food provisions and t...

After spending some time as a couple, Rob and Jodie had been friends for over ten years. He had seen her go through health challenges in the past and always re-emerge to be there by his side. It was with great shock then that Rob received a call from Jodie’s sister on his 40th birthday telling him that Jodie had suddenly passed away. Rob went to Jodie’s funeral and found himself breaking down in p...

Samuel had just made a number of significant changes in his life following the pandemic. He had changed jobs, moved house and left a 4-your relationship. It was to his great surprise then that on a night out at the pub, he thought that he had found “the one”.  She was petite and blonde, just his type. She also shared his taste in music and films. The similarities were so extreme that they eve...

From the outside, Zahir seemed to be living the perfect life. He had a successful job, a beautiful apartment and he had just got married. Behind closed doors, however, the situation was much less than ideal. Zahir and his wife were miserable. They were constantly arguing and those arguments were beginning to escalate. Eventually, Zahir felt that the situation could not continue and he told his wif...

Emmanuel was the youngest of six children. He was also the only boy of the household. As a child, Emmanuel’s father would often disappear for weeks or months on end, during which time Emmanuel would eagerly anticipate his return. One night, Emmanuel would be woken from his sleep as his father unexpectedly stormed home. He had roused the entire household because a dirty cup had been left in the sin...

Alex was an 8-year-old kid with an obsession for football and a love of Manchester United. When he heard a rumour that his hero and Manchester United legend, Alex Ferguson, would be at a local venue, he convinced his father to take him. Arriving at the venue, Alex still didn’t really believe that Alex Ferguson would be present. However, after spotting a local football presenter that he recognised...

Robert was a young doctor working in an intensive care ward when a patient was urgently admitted to him with pancreatitis. Robert proceeded to provide treatment for his patient and left him in what he believed to be a stable condition. Later on, the alarm over his patient’s bed was triggered. Robert and a team of specialist doctors and nurses rushed to the scene. The patient’s bag had filled with...

Alix is a former professional rugby player who made it to the very top of his profession. After retiring, his wife noticed that he was displaying some strange behaviour. But Alix dismissed his wife’s concerns until one day he went on a fateful bike ride. He was riding along what should have been a familiar route. It was a loop that he had done countless times before. But, on this day, he found him...

Jack, a record-breaking cyclist, was engaging in a social event with his fellow competitors. It was the off-season and they found themselves cycling across the French border and emerging onto the sun-dappled beaches of Spain. It was time to take a rest and Jack began to fantasise about having a large cup of coffee. After drinking his coffee, one of the crowd asked him if he was going to have a bee...

Chris was doing a typical day’s work at the local butcher’s when a man behind him started swearing at him, claiming he had got blood on his shirt. A few weeks later, Chris found himself confronted by a burly individual who accused Chris of disrespecting his friend. At first Chris tried to avoid confrontation but, as he found himself pursued in the street, he decided that the only way to protect hi...

Phil had taken financial risks and had fallen into debt. But he was the man of the house and he had to find a way forward. He began working harder and harder. He found ways to keep pushing himself further in pursuit of success. One night he was taking the night time drive home. It was 45 minutes along the motorway. He’d taken the trip countless times before but this time his eyes were feeling a li...

You are a social worker and you are working with a young boy who has no experience of being told what to do. He has committed a crime and he is about to go face-to-face with a magistrate. If he does not behave himself, he will only make his situation worse. You are straining to convince him that his best option is to follow the magistrate’s instructions, but the boy continues to act up. After bein...

You are a lawyer and you find yourself unemployed for the first time in two decades. You’re sitting on your sofa in your underwear. You feel like you have failed.  Feeling that you need to express your disappointment, you decide to reveal your true thoughts to the world. You write a post on LinkedIn.  You pour out your heart. You worry that you may be burning your professional bridges bu...

You are a boxing fanatic. You have been obsessed with the sport ever since you were a child. As a teenager you have one overriding ambition: to work for the most prestigious boxing magazine in the country, “Boxing News”. Now you are a young man. You tell your brother that you have plans to emigrate to Australia. You tell him there’s only one possible outcome that could prevent you from doing so: b...

You are travelling with your childhood sweetheart and her family. You met her at school when you were just 17 years old and you’ve been together for 10 years. You have made plans for the future. You’re engaged to be married. You’re playing eye-spy on the roadside together. And then a tragic accident takes her away from you forever. You are distraught. Everything that the future was supposed to be...

You’re in your favourite blues bar. You’re dancing to the melodic guitars. You see a woman across from you. She captures your attention. You capture hers. You speak to her outside of the bar. You discover that the connection is real. Over the next few months, you fall in love. But she’s seen something on your leg: a small bump. She thinks you should get it checked out. You tell her it’s nothing. B...

Your biological father disappeared from your life when you were a young child. You have been raised by another man who has been a father to you in every way you could possibly imagine. But, many years later, your biological father returns. You find that you have a lot in common with him. But your relationship is not that of father and son. He’s more like a best friend. You’re playing computer game...

You’re 20 years old. You’ve been hiding your sexual identity from all of those around you. But now you find yourself on a journey towards your first ever gay bar. You’re excited but you’re also terrified. You’re terrified that someone who recognises you will see you enter the bar. You’re terrified that your secret will finally be revealed. You circle the bar 6, 8, 10 times, checking each time that...

ep 14: You get a phone call from a friend who’s asking to be picked up. He has a reputation as a dodgy character but you agree to help him out. Before you know it, you’re being pursued by a police car. It’s now that your friend tells you he’s carrying something he shouldn’t be. You think about driving away but you suddenly find yourself surrounded. You and your mate are dragged out of the car and...

Ep 13: You’re finishing a night-shift at work. You receive a text from a family member. The person is requesting to see you right now. They need to talk and it is not a conversation that can happen over the phone. You arrive at the family member’s house. They are visibly upset. Then they break down. They are crying in front of you. It is at this point that they tell you their truth. As you listen...

Ep 12: You’ve grown up in a provincial Irish town. You’ve known that your sexuality is different to those around you since you were a teenager. But, as you grow up, you find that you do not fit the stereotype of what a gay man is perceived to be and you are reluctant to define yourself by your sexual preference. One day, however, you realise that one of the people you love most does not truly know...