Baboró

Creating Space is an innovative two year arts in education residency project delivered by multi-disciplinary artist Colm Ó Foghlú in Merlin Woods Primary School for Baboró with funding from Lifes2Good Foundation and the Arts Council. The bespoke project was designed in consultation with the school staff and children. It involved Colm visiting the same children four times a month for two years as they moved from 1st to 2nd class. The students also went to see four live performances in Galway city. 
This panel of stakeholders reflect on this child-led project and share insights for developing meaningful arts experiences in the classroom.
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About the Panellists

Colm O'Foghlú
Colm Ó Foghlú is an Irish composer, director, and producer whose career spans music, theatre, film, and education. A graduate of UCD (M.A. in Drama & Performance) and DCU (PME), he has held residencies at St. Patrick’s College, Marino Institute of Education and with Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. As Musical Director of Riverdance, Colm toured internationally and has since composed for opera, theatre, and orchestral settings. His operas Eoghainín na nÉan and Íosagán (after P. H. Pearse) premiered in Dublin. Through Ember Productions, he co-developed acclaimed site-specific works such as Stones, Bones and Beckett and Frozen Music.
His commissions include works for RTÉ, Busch Gardens, and the Australian Film Board, while his 2022 album Returning / Filleadh was chosen as Lyric FM’s Album of the Week. Other projects include The Island Lullaby, commemorating the Blasket Islands evacuation and An Uile Bhealach Abhaile/All The Ways Home, inspired by his Connemara upbringing. Colm's music has been performed by orchestras across the world and is regularly performed by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. In film and media, he wrote and directed the award-winning short Suanscéal, formatted and mentored on TG4’s series Pitch Perfect and was head judge/mentor on TG4’s recent series Curfá. 
A passionate educator, Colm has led numerous school and community arts initiatives, especially in the Irish language. Rooted in his Connemara home, Colm continues to weave traditional heritage with contemporary artistry, shaping Ireland’s cultural landscape across stage, screen and sound.
Shirley-Anne Godfrey (Bonner)
Shirley-Anne Godfrey (Bonner) holds an MA and  PhD in Drama and theatre Studies, from the University of Galway. Her research includes the use of Drama in Education in primary schools and she is currently evaluating arts in education programmes for Galway Music Residency and Sligo Youth Baroque Orchestra. She is a former teacher, co-founder of the Frances Browne Literary Festival, Donegal, and a playwright. A rehearsed reading of her first play In My Mind’s Eye (2021) was performed in the Lyric Theatre Belfast, at the American Irish Historical Society, New York, and An Grianán, Letterkenny. Dramatisations include Browne’s ghostly The Legends of Ulster (2021), The Tale of Fairyfoot (2023) - a promenade performance in the woods of Drumboe, featured storytelling, music and aerial dance in association with Fidget Feet and Aislingí academy. An adaptation of Browne’s The Tale of Merrymind  also in collaboration with Fidget Feet will be performed in October.
Paula O'Connor
Paula has been Principal of Merlin Woods Primary School for over 15 years, a diverse school on the east side of Galway City with almost 400 pupils and over 35 languages and nationalities.  Paula is passionate about encouraging a holistic education to her pupils, providing meaningful creative opportunities for all.  She encourages pupils’ love and appreciation of the Arts in all its forms. Paula sees the benefits of using the Arts to promote student voice and participation.
Bryony Hussey
Bryony Hussey is a Visual Artist and Educator and formerly Baboró’s Outreach Projects Manager. Bryony works in educational institutions, art centres and galleries across the UK, Ireland and USA devising and delivering creative learning programmes for children and young people. Originally from Dublin, Bryony lived in London for 15 years and is passionate about place, children’s rights and neurodiverse perspectives. While in London, Bryony studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Her practice centres on multisensory play and community-led approaches. 
Rita Melia (Chair)
Dr Rita Melia is a lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Care at Atlantic Technological University Galway and Mayo. As a Fulbright scholar at Harvard Graduate School of Education under the sponsorship of Professor Howard Gardner, Rita's work is guided by an image of the child as competent and confident, a child with a hundred languages and multiple intelligences. Rita is passionate about young children's right to access the arts as participants and audience. Having co-ordinated the pilot Arts in Early Learning and Care funded by the Arts Council, Rita has also successfully been awarded Artists in Residence to work with students on the BA Early Childhood Education and Care programme at ATU. Rita is currently a student at the National College of Art and Design where she is undertaking the Diploma in Arts and Ecology programme.

(This episode is best experienced while viewing the slides from this event. Visit baboro.ie to view these slides or click this link https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/2025-festival-podcasts)
Bringing performances directly into schools is a uniquely accessible way to reach audiences, but it requires a very different approach to traditional financial and touring models. Touring into schools has been happening throughout Ireland for decades but generally in an ad hoc way. How do we create a sustainable model for this kind of touring so that every child in Ireland experiences the performing arts? 
Tune in for an insightful conversation on the topic with Phil Kingston (Community and Education Manager at The Abbey Theatre),  Marc MacLochlainn (Director of Branar) Claire O'Neill ( Creative Producer), Mags Walsh (Programme Director for Creative Schools), Noel Jordan (Director, Edinburgh International Children's Festival) and facilitated by Marianne Kennedy (Senior Lecturer of Drama and Theatre Studies in University of Galway).
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About the Panellists

Phil Kingston
Phil Kingston is Community and Education Manager at the Abbey Theatre, where since 2011 he has created and led over 100 applied drama/education projects with children, young people, and communities. His work includes Consent Workshops for secondary schools and Priming the Canon, a play series linking Irish theatre to the primary curriculum. Originally trained as an actor, he ran Pathways, a storytelling and T.I.E. company in Manchester primary schools for ten years. He was a long term member of Theatre for Young Audiences Ireland as well as working with Youth Theatre Ireland and the arts-in-education portal, championing best practice in creative engagement.
Marc MacLochlainn
Marc is the executive artistic director of Branar, a company he founded. Based in the West of Ireland since 2001, Branar is renowned for creating highly imaginative and beautiful work. Branar productions tour nationally and internationally bringing its work with equal enthusiasm to leading arts venues nationally and internationally as to a local school in Galway. Branar is committed to reaching its audience, wherever they are. Marc also presented Déan tú fhéin é a 6 part DIY programme on TG4.
Claire O'Neil
Claire collaborates as a  creative producer with Paul Curley, Julie Sharkey and Thomas Johnson of Ceol Connected. Recent projects include Polar Bear & Penguin (The Ark & National Tour 2023, Sydney Opera House & The Egg, Theatre Royal, Bath 2024, Ottawa Children's Festival & Spoleto Festival USA 2025), Grey Matter 2023 & National Tour 2025, An Ant Called Amy (Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2024, The Ark as part of Dublin Theatre Festival 2024 & Polka Theatre London & Belgrade Theatre Coventry, The Egg, Theatre Royal, Bath  2025), The Very Curious Ceilí (Development) Ceol Connected, 2024 & 2025.  
Claire has worked in a variety of roles across a number of dynamic projects & productions in the last 18 years  for companies including  THISISPOPBABY, Project Arts Centre, Irish Theatre Institute and Rough Magic. 
Mags Walsh
Mags Walsh is Programme Director for Creative Schools at the Arts Council. Creative Schools is a national programme delivered in partnership with the Department of Education which places arts and creativity at the heart of school life. Previous to this role Mags was the British Council’s Director for Ireland. She started her career as arts programmer at the Ark and was Director at Children's Books Ireland for almost a decade. She is a recipient of the Jerome Hynes Clore Leadership fellowship.She has been a member of various boards, steering groups and committees including More Europe, Kids Own, National Campaign for the Arts and The Literature Alliance. 
Noel Jordan
Noel is the Festival Director of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival produced by Imaginate. At the beginning of Noel’s career he worked for a schools touring company in Victoria, Australia. The entire UK landmass fits into this state. He is also on the curatorial panel of Theatre in Schools Scotland jointly run by Imaginate and the National Theatre of Scotland.
Marianne Kennedy (Chair)
Marianne Kennedy is a Senior Lecturer of Drama and Theatre Studies in University of Galway, and theatre director and producer of 25 years. Her research interests include Irish language theatre and performance, the decolonisation of Irish theatre and Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). Kennedy is the Creative Director of The O' Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance since its opening in 2016, as well as Artistic Director and convenor of the University of Galway's ‘Arts in Action’ programme, a flagship arts and arts research programme on campus across architecture, circus, theatre, music, film, literature dance and VR.  She is the founder of the Irish language theatre performance and research collective Giorria Theatre, and convenor of Ceangal | Cwlwm, a research and performance initiative between Scotland, Ireland and Wales bringing together those involved in theatre-making in Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Welsh in an annual symposium.  Kennedy has many directing credits including for Giorria Theatre Collective, Abbey Theatre, An Taibhdhearc and GIAF. Prior to entering the Academy she has served as CEO of Siamsa Tíre Theatre, the National Folk Theatre of Ireland, and also Director of An Taibhdhearc, the National Theatre of the Irish language and currently sits on the board of Galway Theatre Festival and Macnas.

(This episode is best experienced while viewing the slides from this event. Visit baboro.ie to view these slides or click this link https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/2025-festival-podcasts)
Circus performances invite audiences to thrill in risk-taking and witness the body achieving near-impossible feats using universal languages of movement and humour. In recent years circus shows have moved from the big top to the main stage and are a feature of many festivals across the world.
This discussion centres on what makes circus such a compelling choice for both presenters and audiences. A discussion between Emilie Weiss (Artistic Director of Emilie Weisse Circus Theater), Lynn Carroll (CEO of Galway Community Circus) Quim Girón (Director of Animal Religion) Ward Mortier (Co-Founder of Be Flat). Chaired by Dr. Ian R. Walsh (Head of Discipline Drama and Theatre Studies, University of Galway).
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About the Panellists

Emilie Weisse 
Born in Paris, Emilie studied at the Rosella Hightower Ballet School in Cannes before joining Jeune Ballet International in 2000. After earning her ballet teacher degree in Paris, she met circus performer Menno Van Dyke, with whom she created Juggling Tango, a fusion of dance and juggling. Since 2007, they have performed worldwide, winning awards in Moscow, Paris and China, and in 2018 received the Oscar Carré Trofee, the highest distinction for circus in the Netherlands. In 2022, Emilie debuted as director with Be Kind, a performance for babies developed with scientists specialized in baby development, which has since toured internationally with more than 180 performances.
Lynn Carroll
Lynn Carroll is CEO of Galway Community Circus and President of the European Youth Circus Organisation (EYCO). A former international performer with companies including Nofit State Circus, she has spent over 40 years shaping circus as both an art form and a tool for education. Lynn helped develop youth and training programmes at leading UK circus centres before bringing her vision to Ireland. She believes circus is for everyone—an accessible, playful and non-competitive space where young people build skills, confidence and community. Through teamwork, trust and creativity, Lynn champions circus as a way for young people to truly fly.
Quim Girón
Quim Girón is founder and artistic director of the company Animal Religion. He holds a degree in circus arts from the University of Dance and Circus in Stockholm, where he received the Sophie Hulten’s scholarship for his creativity, risk-taking play, and skills as a circus artist. His work focuses on exploring new languages within contemporary circus.
Notable authored works include: Sifonòfor – Special City of Barcelona Award (2015) Sifonòfor – BBVA Zirkolika Grand Prize for Best Indoor Circus Show (2015) Chicken Legz – Moritz Award for Best Street and Non-Conventional Show Premiere at Fira Tàrrega (2014) Copiar – FETEN Award for Best Immersive Show (2025).
Ward Mortier
Ward Mortier is a circus artist and director based in Ghent. In 2017, he and fellow circus artist Thomas Decaesstecker co-founded their company Be Flat. Be Flat brings a mix of urban sports, circus and live music to each location they play. As a result, each performance is a unique composition inspired by its location, offering everyone a chance to experience the circus from the front row.
Ian Walsh (Chair)
Ian R. Walsh is Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at University of Galway. He has published in peer-reviewed journals and edited collections. Books include Contemporary Irish Theatre: Histories and Theories (Palgrave, 2024) co-written with Charlotte McIvor and Experimental Irish Theatre: After W.B Yeats (Palgrave, 2012) and edited collections: Cultural Convergence: The Dublin Gate Theatre, 1928-1960 (Palgrave, 2021) and The Theatre of Enda Walsh (Peter Lang, 2019).  From 2019-2022 Ian was Principal Investigator (PI) for University of Galway on Circus ++ which developed the first international BA degree in Youth and Social Circus (Erasmus +). From 2019-2023 he was the PI for Wires Crossed: Head, Heart Balance (Creative Europe). In 2024 he co-authored the Circus Trans Formation Advanced Research Report (Erasmus +) on training Circus Trainers. He was Chair of Galway Community Circus from 2022-2024 and is still a board member.

(This episode is best experienced while viewing the slides from this event. Visit baboro.ie to view these slides or click this link https://www.baboro.ie/news-events/2024-festival-podcasts)

Award-winning visual artist Jane Hayes discusses the challenges and opportunities of creating and presenting work for early years audiences. There are few exhibitions for this age group as the area of early years visual arts practice is developing in Ireland. Equally emergent is the inclusion of young children’s voices in the process.

Jane shares her innovative approaches to creating ambitious and playful visual art with and for early years children. Although Jane is a visual artist, she highlights how theatre for young audiences influences and drives her practice. Having recently toured her work, 'Sweet Home Sweet' (2023) nationally, Jane shares her experiences of touring and presenting visual art to a range of early years audiences in various contexts.

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About Jane Hayes

Jane Hayes is a visual artist making work with and for early years audiences. Working from Sample Studios, Cork, Jane uses digital imagery and installation to push the boundaries of non-participatory visual art for the very young. Inclusion of the child’s voice is central to her practice, and her approaches are greatly influenced by TYA. Jane holds a BA Honours in Painting from Edinburgh College of Art. and has received awards, including the Arts Council YPCE Artist Bursary (2023) and the Cork City Council Artist Bursary (2024). Her recent work, 'Sweet Home Sweet' (2023), commissioned by Sample Studios, toured nationally. She has been an Associate Artist with Baboró since 2023.

Across 2022 and 2023 Branar piloted Meitheal, a support initiative for artists and producers creating work for young audiences across performing arts disciplines.

Independent arts consultant, Janice McAdam, was engaged to evaluate the initiative from the beginning. This report distills the key findings of her evaluation, detailing the impact of the intervention of Meitheal in the performing arts for young audience sector across Ireland. 

In this panel event, Janice presents the report and speaks with Meitheal alumni, theatre maker Miquel Barceló and producer Claire O’Neill about their experience of the initiative, with contributions from the Branar team.

Learn more about Meaitheal here. 

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About the Speakers

Janice McAdams

Janice McAdams has been helping individuals and organisations think strategically and engage meaningfully for over twenty years. Since qualifying as a coach in 2011, Janice also supports them to consider and manage change. Janice completed a Masters in Work and Organisational Behaviour at DCU in 2017, with a particular emphasis on change, and does research and stakeholder facilitation work and really enjoys using a simple but hugely effective method called World Café. Since starting her own business, Janice is proud to have worked with a range of clients across the public, private, not for profit and cultural sectors including most recently The Arts Council, Dublin Fringe Festival, Cork City Council, The Stinging Fly, Irish Writers Centre and The Ark. She also coaches individuals, supporting them to consider and advance their careers.

Miquel Barceló

Miquel Barceló is a theatre practitioner and musician with extensive experience in physical theatre, theatre for young audiences, street theatre, arts and disability and community arts. Trained at École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, he works as a freelance artist and collaborates on an ongoing basis with Branar, Macnas and arts organisations for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) That’s Life. Miquel’s main focus is performing, composing music for theatre shows and researching new pedagogical approaches to theatre. He has worked extensively with youth ensembles and in the area of theatre for children in schools. Current work in development includes an immersive theatre experience exploring the legend of Captain George MacNamara.

Claire O'Neill

Claire has worked in a wide variety of managerial and production roles in the arts sector in the last 15 years. She spent five years as General Manager & Producer with THISISPOPBABY, working across a variety of dynamic projects & productions including producing Mark O'Halloran's award winning play Conversations After Sex (Dublin Theatre Festival 2021). Prior to this she was General Manager and Producer at Project Arts Centre from 2013 to 2017 where she produced Dublin Oldschool. She was Executive Producer on the first iteration of the Bram Stoker Festival as well as working closely with a variety of Project Artists including Brokentalkers, Junk Ensemble and Louise White. Claire was five years with Irish Theatre Institute from 2009 as General Manager and worked on a range of events including Information Toolbox, International Theatre Exchange as well as the Six in the Attic and Show in a Bag programmes.