International Men’s Day 2024
On November 19, International Men’s Day celebrates the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. It’s a day to highlight positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being. The theme for 2024 is “Positive Male Role Models”.
International Men’s Day offers a moment to reflect on the unique challenges men face, from issues like parental alienation and homelessness to mental health struggles and violence. It's a day to champion the achievements and contributions of boys and men across society—whether in family, marriage, community, or the workplace—and to honour the positive role models who inspire us daily.
Guided by its Six Pillars, this global awareness day promotes better gender relations, celebrates men’s health and wellbeing, and highlights the importance of creating a safer, more inclusive world for everyone. It’s also a chance to simply say thank you to the male figures who have made a difference in our lives. Let’s take this opportunity to start meaningful conversations and show appreciation for the men who inspire, support, and uplift us.
We spoke to a few amazing men we have featured in the past and asked them what International Men’s Day means to them, who has inspired them and what their International Men’s Day message is on this celebratory day!
Johnny Ward
Over the last 20 years, Johnny has been roaming the globe, becoming the first Irish person to visit every country in the world, then on to climbing mountains, and now running some of the hardest ultramarathons in the world. All the while, setting up with a new life in Thailand. But...he's still drawn ‘home’.
What does International Men’s Day mean to you?
In a post-modern era where masculinity is frowned upon, I think International Men's Day is more important than ever. Traditional masculine roles have been demonised unfairly for the last 20 years, and to take a step back and appreciate the toil, the endeavour, the burdens that men carry, and willingly carry, is more important now than quite literally ever before.
So, for me, it means the world. It's a day to ignore the media furore over 'toxic masculinity' where a small, vocal minority are keen to downplay what men do on a daily basis. And it's time to appreciate men for all the do for themselves, for their families and for society as a whole. And they continue to do so, to very little vocal support. It's a time to understand what it is to be a man, and to allow a brief slap on the back, before we get back to doing what we do best. Supporting others around us.
Who has been the most influential male role model in your life, and how did they shape the person you are today?
You know, this is a deeply sad answer. But I can say with a hand on my heart I had no male role model, not even a male, in my life growing up. No father, no brother, no grandfather from a young age. No teachers, no youth club mentors. Literally nothing. And it makes me sad to think about to be honest. But also, it gives me the bit between my teeth to make sure my future sons won't have to grow up without help. And also it makes me work harder to ensure my message, via my blog, my social media etc, is one that promotes hard work and sacrifice to get to where we want to be.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I'm a tough love advocate, all day long. I worry that world has got soft, I worry that social media has permanently damaged our dopamine feedback loops, and that instant gratification has created all too many self-obsessed narcissists. So when it comes to a message to my younger self, or to any other young man, it's the no-one is 'destined' for anything. The world owes us nothing. But that isn't a message of fear, it's a message of a blank canvas. Where we can paint any picture we want. With the world going soft, if you stand up and be counted, graft and grind, you can do anything, and be anyone. Nothing can stop you.
Michael Barton
Michael is Regional Director at Invest Northern Ireland – Americas, based in Toronto. Born in Antrim, Michael now lives in Toronto with his wife and son.
What does International Men’s Day mean to you?
To be honest I'd never paid much thought to International Men's day, but after taking the time to read up, to properly understand it, I feel it's very important to me. Particularly as men haven't always been very good at discussing things like mental health or other issues. There was a mentality of suck it up and keep going which is not right at all. So having a day to bring awareness to all the issues men face and talking openly about them should be applauded. Particularly now that I'm a dad to a little boy, I want to ensure his generation are comfortable addressing these things and have the tools to deal with them.
Who has been the most influential male role model in your life, and how did they shape the person you are today?
I have two key role models. My late grandfather was my idol growing up - and while I don't think I ever went to him for any advice per se, I learnt a lot from him just by spending time with him and by watching how he treated others - his generosity and kindness to others has always stuck with me. My other role model is my father. He taught me things about how you treat others (which he learnt from my grandfather). He instilled things in me that I'm trying to instil in my own son. It doesn't cost anything to be kind, you don't know what someone else is going through.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
To my younger self, probably to care less about what others think of you. We are all just trying our best. To not stress about the small stuff, life is a bit of a roller coaster, so just try and enjoy the ride while you're healthy and still here.
Jonny Blair
Northern Irish globetrotter Jonny Blair is a professional writer, blogger, teacher and author from Northern Ireland with a passion for travel, writing, football and most importantly a passion for all things Northern Irish!
What does International Men’s Day mean to you?
"An extraordinary guy can never have an ordinary day" - Noel Gallagher.
It's actually just another day in the year, sometimes I feel we get obsessed with celebrating certain days like Valentine's Day, International Women's Day, International Men's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day. If we can avoid the commercial aspect of such days, and respect the place of a man in society, then I'm happy with that. Maybe have some football to watch and a beer or two would be a cool idea!
Who has been the most influential male role model in your life, and how did they shape the person you are today?
"In the Silent Mournes, I sat and watched the new way people" - Joe Blair.
For sure the most influential male is my Dad, Joe Blair, but then again this is the answer most people will give to this question. I'm the oldest of my four siblings so Dad was always the father figure for me growing up. I used to watch him play football every Saturday. Dad also inspires me with his music, his writing and his drawing. I take a lot of my writing inspiration from him, as I now have eight printed books out with four more in the pipeline. As a sneak preview and secret news - I hope that my Dad will design the cover for one of my upcoming books! Dad has shaped my creativity and outlook on the world as a big place of adventure.
Aside from my Dad, my writing inspiration comes from William Shakespeare and Noel Gallagher. Noel's parents are of course both Irish. Two are my books took their title inspiration from the brace - Don't Look Back In Bangor is inspired by my home city, and an Oasis song; Taints And Honours was fondly found amongst Shakespeare's fine work - it's a line in Antony And Cleopatra!
My love of football gives me great inspiration as a football writer, author and a supporter of Northern Ireland. My heroes there are George Best, Pat Jennings, Gerry Armstrong and Billy Hamilton. I've actually met all four of them!
My travelling inspiration comes from Michael Palin. I have never met him but I did go drinking with his son William in The Bahamas on New Year's Day a while back which was cool!
What advice would you give to your younger self?
"His taints and honours waged equal with him" - William Shakespeare.
We all have good and bad points - only eejits think they are perfect. We have taints and honours in equal measures. We learn more as we get older - our wisdom and experience make us a better man. For me, my blogs, my books and my online life have always been very open and honest, and this is the best thing to do.
Don't stop living!
As we mark International Men’s Day 2024, let’s take a moment to reflect on the unique challenges men face and celebrate their invaluable contributions to families, communities, and society. It’s a day to spark important conversations about mental health, gender equality, and the need for positive male role models!
