Maeve Davey currently works for The Beat Initiative, co-ordinating community and carnival arts production in Belfast. While their biggest event is the annual Belfast Carnival, they employ actors, musicians, dancers and artists for various workshops and carnivals throughout the year. Maeve has had an eclectic career so far, working as an English tutor, freelance journalist, club-night organiser, doing PR for Belfast tourist board and some continued academic study.
So Maeve, what’s a typical day for you at the Beat Initiative?
On paper, I work a nice, 20 hour week but, in reality, if it’s coming up to an event and there’s a lot of workshops on I can end up working a lot of extra hours. In an ideal scenario, I can start work mid-morning, take a long lunch break sitting outside the carnival warehouse in the sun with the rest of The Beat team and still be home in time for Neighbours. However, working in something as varied as carnival arts means having to be prepared to travel all over Belfast – visiting workshops, meeting people, taking photos, supervising children, playing drums and even dressing up as a love nymph for photo shoots on occasion!
