Meet the Board

Sharon Murphy is a lens-based artist and curator. She has worked in the arts for over twenty five years leading, programming, curating and producing a wide range of initiatives in the visual and the performing arts. She has significant experience in theatre and in local government arts, having held senior positions in TEAM Theatre, Abbey Theatre and as Arts Officer in Dún-Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. She is currently resident curator at Draíocht.  Murphy holds a BA (English & History, NUI Maynooth, 1984), a H. Dip Education (NUI Maynooth, 1985), an MA in Drama Studies (UCD, 1993) and a BA in Photography (IADT, 2014). She was the Irish recipient of the Arts Council’s 2007/2008 Jerome Hynes Fellowship on the Clore Cultural Leadership Programme (UK). 

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Oran Leong  is a multidisciplinary dance artist of traditional Irish, contemporary and aerial dance. With 18 years of competiive Irish dance training, he has won three World titles amongst numerous other regional and national Championships. He holds an MA in Contemporary Dance Performance from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. During that time he met Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre which has been crucial to his aerial practice.

 

Working for a number of Irish and international companies in a variety of dance styles, Oran has also been Assistant Artistic Director of Laois Youth Dance Ensemble and was the backstage presenter for TG4's dance show 'An Ríl Deal'. He has also created his own solo dance works which have been presented at national and internatioal festivals and events. Various Arts Council funding has been awarded to him for Traditional Arts, Dance and Circus while in 2020, he received Dance Ireland’s HATCH Award under the mentorship of Fearghus Ó Conchúir. An alumnus of the Dublin Youth Dance Company, he is delighted to now serve on the Board. 

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Sinéad is an arts manager and programmer who has worked in the youth arts sector for almost a decade. Born in Tipperary, Sinéad always had a keen interest in the arts and music in particular, learning piano and traditional flute from a young age. An alumni of UCC, Sinéad graduated in 2011 with Bachelor of Arts with Music and in 2012 with a Bachelor of Music.

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Sinéad moved to London in 2013 where she studied at Goldsmiths University of London for her MA in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy, graduating with honours. Throughout her studies, Sinéad worked with the London International Festival of Theatre as assistant producer for their show youth participation show Turfed.

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Upon a return to Ireland in early 2014, Sinéad took up the position as Assistant Coordinator with Music Generation Laois, working with young people and professional musicians across County Laois and the Midlands. During her stint in Laois, Sinéad was also acting Coordinator of the Laois School of Music for one year.

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Sinéad currently works as Programmes Manager with the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras –the all-Ireland resource organisation for youth orchestras in Ireland. She took up this post in May 2022 having worked as IAYO’s Marketing & Communications Officer for three years. Sinéad is passionate about her work and about bringing young people together to perform to the best of their abilities in some of Ireland’s top youth ensembles.

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Kate is Artistic Director and CEO of the Mill Theatre. She has led the organization for 8years, developed and implemented a new strategy, delivered commercial success and a broad community engagement programme. The theatre has greatly improved its artistic output and impact, diversified its audience, increased public funding and uniquely positioned itself within the wider arts ecology.

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Kate received her Masters Degree in Drama and Theatre Studies from D.C.U. in 2009 and then moved to Singapore to work both as an actor and director. While there she worked as a performer with Singapore Lyric Opera. In 2012 she graduated with a Higher Diploma in Vocal Performance at The Royal Irish Academy of Music

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Kate was appointed General Manager of the DLR Mill Theatre in June 2016. Previously, she worked at the Gaiety School of Acting as the Shakespeare Schools Programmer. Kate directs at the Mill theatre, most recent productions include 'Eclipsed', The Importance of Being Earnest and The Playboy of The Western World.  Previously she directed King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Macbeth for Gaiety Schools of Acting and The Importance of Being Earnest for Smock Alley Productions. In 2022, She produced two new Irish Musicals, Tír Na Nóg and SISTERS, both funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Sport, Arts, Media and the Gaeltacht. Kate has worked broadly in Arts Education and founded both the Shakespeare Schools Festival and the Primary Shakespeare Festival.

Aoife Lucey is a communications professional who has worked at leading arts and culture organisations in Ireland and internationally for more than a decade. Her expertise includes strategic communications, marketing, public relations, stakeholder engagement and digital media management. Previously she held roles at Dublin Theatre Festival, the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Canadian Stage and the Abbey Theatre before taking up her current position as Communications and Marketing Manager at Music Generation, Ireland's national music education programme. 

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Aoife is an English Literature and Drama and Theatre Studies graduate of Trinity College Dublin. She has since completed a Certificate in Community Education and Equality Studies (Maynooth University), a Certificate in Management Practice (University of Ulster) and qualified as a drama teacher through the Leinster School of Music and Drama.​​​

Alan has been a professional arts worker for 30 years. During this time his career has spanned acting, producing, directing, group facilitation and project managing a variety of youth led and professional projects. He is currently the Deputy Director of Youth Theatre Ireland. He supports the strategic development of the organisation and leads on youth theatre research and development nationally.

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He had previously been the Youth Theatre Officer at Youth Theatre Ireland from 2010- 2021.In this role, he supported the sustained artistic development of youth theatres through the development of resources, training, support and advice. He oversaw the development and innovation of the Young Critics Programme, curated, built, and managed the Playshare collection and was producer of the National Youth Theatre from 2015 - 2020. In addition, he co-lead Leading On... leaders training programme, and was instrumental in developing the current iteration of the National Festival of Youth Theatres.  

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Key skill include Youth Arts Development, Strategic Planning, Artistic Development and Event Planning & Delivery. His current areas of interest are in Digital Learning, Design Thinking and Digital Youth Work. He graduated with First Class Honours from the inaugural NUI Certificate in Digital Creativity in Youth Settings - Level 8 in 2019 and was awarded a full Artist and Youth Work Residency Grant from the Arts Council & NYCI in 202 & 2021.

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Alan was formally Chairperson of Dublin Youth Theatre and Artistic Director of Bewley's Cafe Theatre.

Emma Mahony is the owner of The Odette School of Ballet and a Silver Swans ballet teacher with Dance Ireland. Emma also works as a tutor on the ballet teacher training course with the Royal Academy of Dance.

 

Emma began her dance training with Dublin Ballet School where she trained under the Royal Academy of Dance method. Emma went on to study dance full-time at Inchicore College of Further Education, graduating with a Diploma in Dance Instruction (ISTD) and Certificate in Exercise and Health Studies (NCEF). During this time Emma was a member of the Dublin Youth Dance Company. Following this, Emma completed a Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (RAD). Additionally, Emma has an undergraduate degree in Social Science and a masters degree in Sociology (UCD), as well as additional professional certificates in related areas. Emma's dissertation explored the use of dance for the integration of asylum seekers and refugees into Irish communities.

 

Emma worked with Dublin Ballet School for many years before establishing her own ballet school, The Odette School of Ballet. Emma always strives to make classical ballet an inclusive and supportive environment for all dancers. She was the first licenced Silver Swans ballet teacher in Ireland with her specialised classes for older learners gaining media attention nationwide. She has taught dance workshops in Primary and Secondary schools, NGOs and nursing homes. Emma also has a background in fitness, having worked as a fitness instructor at a gym and also teaching ballet-fitness with CoisCéim. In 2023 Emma took up the role of Board Secretary with the Dublin Youth Dance Company.