THE TEN speakers who will take part in the upcoming TEDxWexford – Tomorrow Imagined event at Wexford Arts Centre have been announced.
The ten speakers come from a variety of different backgrounds and will speak on a diverse range of topics at the event on September 23. Speeches will range in length from eight to 20 minutes.
Inspired by the TED Talks initiative, the TEDx programme is designed to help communities, organisations and individuals to spark conversation and connection at local events. The motto of TED Talks is ‘Ideas worth spreading’.
The event takes place at Wexford Arts Centre at 7 p.m.
The ten speakers are:
Grace Gilder is a London-based photographer and arts workshop facilitator. She works with a range of charities and groups, often collaborating with those who support women’s empowerment and wellbeing. Her talk, ‘Adventures in Self Marriage’, will focus on creating a new conversation on what it means to be in front of a camera lens.
Ulick Stafford lives in Adamstown with his partner and five children. He studied chemical engineering at UCD and University of Notre Dame and holds a PhD. He has worked as a researcher and manager in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. His talk ‘Survive Your Camp’ is based on a book he wrote which focused on the application of lessons learned by concentration camp survivors after using the techniques to cope with problems in his own life.
Diarmuid Lyng is a former Wexford hurling captain and primary school teacher and now a regular contributor to TG4’s GAA coverage. His talk is entitled ‘Rooting Tomorrow’. In addition to his media work, he has worked as a facilitator for the Soar Foundation, a Dublin-based collective that encourages teenagers around the country to embrace the best version of themselves and ran the ‘Facebook Free February’ initiative last year.
Patrick Sutton will give a talk entitled ‘Empowering Artists of Tomorrow’, based on his own strong background in the arts. He studied theatre at Dartington College of Arts and received his MA in Screenwriting from IADT. He is a former director of Wexford Arts Centre and of Team Educational Theatre Company. He has been director of The Gaiety School of Acting since 1993. He is a founder and director of Smock Alley Theatre-1662 and of Communicate, a communications company working at a senior level in industry, politics and the arts.
Saffa Musley’s talk is entitled ‘The Look of the Irish – Redefining the Irish Person’. Saffa is a learning and development specialist with over a decade of experience in programme design, delivery, evaluation and management. After initially qualifying as a general nurse in the United Arab Emirates, she moved to Ireland where her work experience panned across government and private sectors. With a focus on personal development and progress, she qualified as a Life and Business Coach with The Irish Life coach Institute under the supervision of the International Coaching Federation. She has delivered coaching and mentoring to organisations such as The Abbey Theatre as well as individuals on a one to one basis.
Frankie Gaffney’s talk will focus on novel writing and is entitled ‘Looking at the Novel – The Importance of punctuation, typography and spelling to understanding the visual medium of literature’. Frankie’s first novel ‘Seven’ was published to much critical acclaim (and controversy) last year. He is currently undertaking research at Trinity College Dublin, analysing literature using linguistics and trying to beat his addiction to journalism.
Mary Reynolds will give a speech entitled ‘The Garden Awakening’ which is based on her own book that drew inspiration from long-forgotten Irish ways of working with land. Mary re-imagines gardens for the times we live in. She looks at land the way a parent looks at a child – as a gift and a responsibility. Guiding you to knit three important parts of a puzzle together, you will learn to ask what the land itself wants to become and how to encourage that intention.
Read more in the Wexford Echo.