Theme: Storytelling

This year we have a number of talks dedicated to storytelling. Whether it's the latest dance on TikTok or a deep dive into the world of investigative journalism is all about how humans tell, and hear, stories.
We also have speakers from the world of sports, comedy and music.

Town Hall Theatre
1 Courthouse Sq
Knocknacarra
Galway, Connaught, H91 VF21
Ireland

Aifric Keogh

Olympian

Aifric is a two time Olympian and an Olympic Bronze Medallist. She began rowing in 2006 in her 1st year of secondary school at Coláiste Iognáid or 'The Jes'. While the Olympic dream only came on the horizon in the latter half of her rowing career, she's always loved sports and enjoyed playing hockey and basketball while growing up. As is the case with most athletes, Aifric simultaneously trained at a high-performance level while also studying for a B.Sc degree in University College Galway, a M.Sc degree in University College Cork and an MBA degree in Trinity College Dublin. As a senior athlete on the team, Aifric has had the privilege over the last 10+ years of being a part of the most recent generation of successful athletes at Rowing Ireland, that have won countless World Championship, World Cup, European and even some Olympic medals along the way.

Áine Gallagher

Artist & Comedian

Áine Gallagher describes herself as a person, an artist, a comedian and a ribbon enthusiast. She has been coined, "the queen of the offbeat", as her unique style of storytelling guarantees audiences a "divinely awkward" experience. Áine has been working as a professional stand up comedian for the past 10 years and is best known for her use of humour to make the Irish language accessible for everyone. As the subject of the award winning documentary "Grá & Eagla" and the director of the new mini documentary series "Hairy Stories", Áine continues to pave her way and tell her stories using her wholly individual style. Her dry and deadpan persona has been compared to the likes of Maria Bamford and Kevin McAleer. Her work is ultimately guided by her passion to share her joy of the mundanity of life and bring people together through stories and laughter.

Brothers in Arms

DJs

This is a collaboration between two brothers Killian and Mitch Mac Donald from the gateway of Connemara to celebrate all that is Connemara. The flora, fauna, the music and magic. Crystal-clear waters, and the green and turf-coloured lands, are the perfect combination for visual art. A press play, poetic partnership. Killian and Mitch (Mitch Presents) have over 30 years of Dj and event experience between them and the Brothers in Arms project shows passion for house music and disco lights in Galway's nightlife scene still to this day, creating unforgettable experiences with every performance for two decades, now they take on a new adventure. The sights and sounds of a place like no other, this is the Connemara Collection.

Louise Lally

Trainer & Mentor

Louise is founder of The Training Academy, having worked in Leadership roles within the Retail sector for many years and having qualifications in HR and Training and Development she encompasses these elements into her Retail Training. Louise was mentoring and coaching for many years with leadership teams and felt that there is more support that is needed to give a better experience and performance process to those new in management roles. Having worked with many large and medium Retail organizations she seen the impact of new Managers needing training to cope better when dealing with people management and building effective teams. Louise works with leadership teams that need support in creating training in performance management, coaching and team conflict. Most of the training programs are custom built and designed for each organization. Louise has worked with a vast range of companies from Retail, Pharmaceutical, Banking to hospitality.

Mei-Ling McNamara

Investigative Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker

Mei-Ling McNamara is an award-winning investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker with an extensive background in short and long-form storytelling. She has worked as a reporter, producer and director for international media outlets including the Guardian, Al Jazeera English, CNN, Channel 4 and the BBC. Her print and multimedia pieces have also featured in the Guardian Long Read, New York Times, the Observer Magazine and Observer on Sunday among others. Her industry work has included narrative journalism, print/radio features, live news production, foreign/current affairs productions and long-form documentaries. Working in both print and broadcast media, her in-depth investigations often focus on human rights, corporate malfeasance, environmental crimes and criminal justice issues. Her investigative journalism work for the Guardian and Al-Jazeera English has received several awards for her in-depth coverage of underreported issues on modern-day slavery and exploitation.

Rachael Ryan

Head of Global Research & Insights

Rachael Ryan is a seasoned research professional with a deep fascination for human behavior. Her career spans various industries, including Technology, Ecommerce, Finance, Retail, and Government, where she has had the opportunity to collaborate with academia, Fortune 500 companies, and startups, focusing on creative and thought leadership research. As Head of Research and Insights at TikTok, Rachael is dedicated to helping creators & brands understand how audiences, creativity, commerce, and culture evolve in a rapidly changing landscape. Her research uncovers insights that drive shifts in behavior, helping people connect in new and meaningful ways. A Galway native, Rachael now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Siobhán Morrissey

Lecturer & Researcher

Dr Siobhán Morrissey is a lecturer and researcher in children’s literature at the University of Galway. She completed her PhD in 2022 on the children’s author Enid Blyton and is currently writing her first monograph titled Empire and Race in Enid Blyton’s Fiction: Deconstructing Whiteness and Modern Editing Practices, which will be published with Bloomsbury in 2025. Siobhán is the current vice-president of the Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature.