A Newry rapper who overcame drug addiction is determined to use his creativity to educate the next generation in memory of his best friend.
Ruairí Cahill who goes by the name Cú Chulainn has launched the 'Wee Conor Project' to demand a change in drug awareness education for young people after the death of his friend Conor Kearns to an overdose in 2019.
Ruairí, who is now two years sober after battling his own addiction problems, says drugs left him "a skeleton of a man" and he hopes he can change the outlook for others facing the same issues.
Read more: Teen turns life around after hitting rock bottom with prescription drugs
Speaking to Belfast Live, he said: "I travelled to Ibiza in 2016 to start my videography career because I was obsessed with dance music and I loved the energy and community vibe and I thought Ibiza is the Mecca of that.
"I started with little club videos - I was in them about seven nights a week and there I developed my career. I started working with bigger artists like David Guetta and Hardwell but also during that time, I developed a bad drug addiction.
"I was going to loads of parties and started taking loads of drugs and then I couldn't distinguish between reality, club life and this dark addiction that I had gotten myself into."
Having worked hard to build up his career over his five years in Ibiza, by 2019 his addiction took a toll on his career and his relationships.
"I was a bad person to be around, I was toxic and hanging out in really dark places - the dream was going down the pan," he explained.
In the height of his addiction, Ruairí received the news that Conor had died back home in Armagh, leaving him devasted to lose someone he had been so close to at only age 23.
Ruairí continued: "He was like my little brother. I grew up with him in South Armagh in a place where the Troubles had been rife for years and we great up in a post-conflict time, wanting to be like the older lads.
"When I found out he had died, I was heartbroken but I couldn't pull myself out of the hole and it took me 8 months of hammering it every day to finally hit rock bottom."
He came home to Newry to start his recovery journey and although sobriety has been a challenge the 'Wee Conor Project' became a massive part of his journey.
"I walked past Conor's grave on the second week of coming home and I vowed to myself that if my creative talents ever shone through again, I would make sure that Conor's legacy would be remembered all over the world," he said.
"Millions of young people die of drug overdoses every year and I decided my friend was not just going to be a number, I wanted Conor to have a song and a campaign that would be something that is monumental to young people across Ireland.
"It was the first time that I pulled myself out of that recovery hole to actually do something that was elevating my spirit and actually connecting the community."
The 'Wee Conor Project' started as a song because Conor and Ruairí loved to listen to hip hop and rap music and has organically grown into a drugs awareness campaign featuring Conor's family.
He added: "I did a media campaign, a music video, a track and I did a documentary where I tell the story behind the actual production. I realised this is much bigger than what I had first assumed from visiting Conor's grave that day."
Ru wants to take the 'Wee Conor Project' into youth clubs and schools across the country, creating awareness about the devasting effects of drug addiction and doing it in a way that young people feel they can relate to.
He said: "I want to revolutionise the way that drug awareness is taught in schools.
"I've contacted 15 schools and they have given me a programme to come into their schools in September and do the Wee Conor drugs awareness assembly.
"That's the essence of what Conor's legacy will be now - the whole of Ireland is going to know about him by 2024, that is the aim."
Read more: My addiction hell: NI man's journey from self destruct to finding peace
Read more: 'It's a hidden addiction': Belfast man's mission to educate youth about gambling
To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.
