"I don't have a job at the moment and I need some new clothes so I thought I'd chance my arm and see if anybody out there had any decent goth clothes for sale. Unfortunately so far I've only had crank calls.

I got into the goth look when I was 12 or 13. Most kids around that age are trying to find themselves and go through different phases. We were all either rockers or goths. A lot of kids grow out of it but I didn't. It wasn't a phase for me.

From a young age I was into gothic literature, mainly horror stories and loved scary things. It was a fascination for me. I'd always been interested in the music as well because my mum listened to metal and rock music but it was only in my mid-teens when I earned some of my own money that I started buying clothes and experimenting with my look properly.

For me, dressing as a goth would involve wearing a corset and high heels, dark make-up, lots of lace and velvet, plus gothic jewellery. Think crosses and crucifixes. Goths are big on crucifixes.

I'd love to dress like a goth every single day but unfortunately that's not always practical so I generally throw on black jeans or a tee-shirt with a band name on it. When I go out to clubs or pubs I wear full gothic make-up and clothing.

There isn't a great goth scene in Dublin. Apparently it's not as good as it used to be. I'm only 19 so I wouldn't really be too familiar with the old goth scene but from what I've heard it was bigger and better.

There's only one goth club that I go to. There are a couple of shops in Dublin that are good for my type of clothing but generally it's pretty crap for goth or rocker stuff, anything alternative really. Camden [in London] is supposed to be the mecca for goths so I'll get there at some stage.

At school, I was the only goth and everybody probably thought I was a bit of a weirdo. I only really associated with the metallers and the rockers. But we weren't any different to other teenagers. We did the exact same things as everyone our age except with different music and darker clothes.

I've always gotten slagged for dressing as a goth and I still get abuse on the street.
If it's a Saturday night and I'm shouted at when I'm coming home from the pub or
club with friends, I don't care because that's just drunken idiots but it annoys me
when I get it during the day from little scumbags.

I don't want to say that I'd only go out with a goth because an attractive guy is an attractive guy but I suppose I do have a type. I like guys with long hair and obviously it's always good when you have common interests. It's nice to enjoy the same music, films, books and clothes as your boyfriend but it's not like I'd only go with someone because they call themselves a goth or a metaller, it's just because I find them more attractive than short-haired guys in rugby tracksuits.

I'm currently studying music at Ballyfermot College. I've wanted to be a musician all my life. I'm a solo act. I sing, and play guitar and I've been writing songs forever. My music is dark blues and my lyrics are quite gothic.

Obviously, as a musician how you dress is a visual representation of the kind of music you do, so I can be myself but if I was applying for a job in a supermarket or something, I wouldn't dress up just to make a point. There's a difference between looking myself and just looking presentable for a job. It's not a major compromise. It's just common sense."