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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260528T120000
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DTSTAMP:20260514T112539Z
CREATED:20260508T111728Z
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UID:10000686-1779969600-1779976800@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography \n\n\n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nSmashing Times are delighted to present Belonging\, an open poetry session and artist talk taking place on Thursday 28 May\, 12am-2pm\, at the Smashing Times Visual Art Gallery\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, as part of the Poetry Day Ireland celebrations.   Belonging features poetry readings by writer and poet Mary Moynihan and invited guest artists\, on themes of home\, nature and belonging\, and a curated artist talk by Mary Moynihan on the poems that inspired the artworks in her powerful multidisciplinary exhibition From the Forest to the Ocean\, currently on display at the Smashing Times Visual Art Gallery. Bringing together photography\, poetry\, and film\, this multidisciplinary exhibition draws inspiration from the physical landscapes of nature and the deep interconnectedness of life — from forests to the ocean.  \n\n\n\nBelonging is a session of poetry\, fun and chat taking place onsite at the Smashing Times Visual Art Gallery. All welcome. If you wish to read a poem on the day\, please get in touch with Ciara at admin@smashingtimes.ie. Poetry Day Ireland is an annual island-wide celebration of poetry organised by Poetry Ireland\, taking place on Thursday 28 May 28 2026\, with the theme ‘Home’.  Presented as part of the European project WE AREurope\, exploring shared European values of human dignity\, freedom\, democracy\, equality\, diversity\, human rights\, gender equality\, and peace. Supported by Erasmus+. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to writing and creating art and photography. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nMary is an interdisciplinary artist and  regularly creates artworks that fuse photographic imagery\, poetical texts and film\, many of which are inspired by landscapes and seascapes especially of the seas and oceans around Ireland. In her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/belonging-a-smashing-times-poetry-day-ireland-celebration/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance,Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/13-copy.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260418T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260418T200000
DTSTAMP:20260414T155705Z
CREATED:20260408T103509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T155705Z
UID:10000684-1776538800-1776542400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n087 2214245 or email freda@smashingtimes.ie. Booking Essential. \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, Writer \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Producer \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live\, immersive\, environmental performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and music to celebrate and reflect on the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our deep connections to nature. Each show is followed by a town-hall style community meet-up to discuss creative ways to protect the environment and human rights. The guest speaker is environmental expert Elis Martinelli from Sea Synergy Marine Awareness Centre. The shows are presented for The Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans\, implemented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Acard and The Barracks Heritage Centre\, Cahersiveen\, supported by South Kerry Development Partnership CLG\, Leader Programme 2023-2027. \n\n\n\nEnjoy a magical performance\, as we regale you with storytelling\, poetry and music reflecting on trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature. Join us as we celebrate the beauty of trees\, nature\, biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees. Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. \n\n\n\nListen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. The Art of Trees invites us to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem.  What can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods and take action in the fight against climate change? The show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking. \n  \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n\n\nThe Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans\n\n\n\nCreative Approaches to the Environment\, Sustainability and Social Justice \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-9/
LOCATION:St John the Baptist Church\, Valentia Island\, Co Kerry\, Knightstown\, Valentia Island\, Kerry\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance,Theatre
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/The-Art-of-Trees-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260417T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260417T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T104806Z
CREATED:20260408T095629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T104806Z
UID:10000683-1776456000-1776459600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nCall 066 9478956. Admission Free. Booking Essential. \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, Writer \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Producer \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is a live\, immersive\, environmental performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and music to celebrate and reflect on the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our deep connections to nature. Each show is followed by a town-hall style community meet-up to discuss creative ways to protect the environment and human rights. The guest speaker is environmental expert Elis Martinelli from Sea Synergy Marine Awareness Centre. The shows are presented for The Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans\, implemented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Acard and The Barracks Heritage Centre\, Cahersiveen\, supported by South Kerry Development Partnership CLG\, Leader Programme 2023-2027. \n\n\n\nEnjoy a magical performance\, as we regale you with storytelling\, poetry and music reflecting on trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity and our connections to nature. Join us as we celebrate the beauty of trees\, nature\, biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees. Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. \n\n\n\nListen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. The Art of Trees invites us to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem.  What can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods and take action in the fight against climate change? The show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking. \n  \n\n\n\nArtist Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n\n\nThe Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans\n\n\n\nCreative Approaches to the Environment\, Sustainability and Social Justice \n \n\n\n\nSmashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality presents The Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans\, a unique project using the arts\, creative methodologies and digital technologies in the Cahersiveen and South Kerry area to celebrate the beauty of forests and oceans\, the importance of biodiversity and our deep connections to nature. The project uses the arts and creativity to promote practical awareness-raising and training in relation to environmental justice\, with a focus on biodiversity\, sustainability and human rights.  \n\n\n\nThe Art of Nature: Protecting our Forests and Oceans is implemented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Acard and The Barracks Heritage Centre\, Cahersiveen\, supported by South Kerry Development Partnership CLG\, Leader Programme 2023-2027. The focus is on sustainable development for the rural environment.  Activities take place with schools\, communities and the general public to promote biodiversity\, sustainability\, social justice and green spaces in South Kerry. The project beautifully intertwines live performance and creative science-based workshops with environmental themes\, to promote biodiversity and sustainability linked to social justice.  Artists working on the project include Mary Moynihan\, a writer\, poet and creator of art and photography\, Ciara Hayes\, Arts Facilitator and Producer; Freda Manweiler\, Facilitator and Producer; and Elizabeth Moynihan\, Director. \n\n\n\nActivities \n\n\n\nCreative Art Workshops: Science-based creative art workshops take place with schools and communities to promote biodiversity\, sustainability and links to social justice. \n\n\n\nLive Performances and Talks: Activities consist of two public environmental-themed performances and post-show panel discussions. See below for details. \n\n\n\nTraining: In addition to the performances and panel discussions\, a series of science-based creative art workshops take place with schools and communities to promote biodiversity\, sustainability\, and environmental justice.  A Sustainable Event Management Training Workshop\, open to the public\, takes place to promote sustainable event management and eco-friendly practises for organising a community-based arts event or festival. Places limited to 20\, on a first-come\, first-served basis.  Contact Freda at Smashing Times on 087 2214245\, for further details. \n  \n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-8/
LOCATION:Tech Amergin Arts and Education Centre\, Spunkane\, Waterville\, Co Kerry
CATEGORIES:Performance,Theatre
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ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251019T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251019T203000
DTSTAMP:20251013T105421Z
CREATED:20250925T150325Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251013T105421Z
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SUMMARY:CAS – Festival Musical Finale
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nCAS – Sebastian Luthers\, Carol Scott\, and Andy McMenamin \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nJoin us for the grand closing celebration of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival with an unforgettable evening of music\, conversation and refreshments.  Enjoy a fantastic and vibrant evening of music with CAS – the acclaimed trio of Sebastian Luthers\, Carol Scott\, and Peter Gallagher. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes ranging from Connaught to Auvergne\, CAS weaves intricate melodies and spirited rhythms into their music\, creating a unique sound with a blend of original and traditional Irish music that is both authentic and fresh. Catch CAS – Sebastian on fiddle and Carol on flute – live in studio on the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Radio Show (broadcast 19 & 25 February 2025) here  \n\n\n\nDrawing inspiration from the landscapes and legends ranging from Connaught to Auvergne\, CAS weaves intricate melodies and spirited rhythms into our music\, creating a sound that is both authentic and fresh. Whether performing in intimate venues or on grand stages\, our dynamic performances never fail to enrapture audiences and leave them wanting more. Join us on a musical journey through Celtic and Medieval soundscapes and share our unique blend of original compositions and traditional airs. \n\n\n\nFollow CAS on Facebook here \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFormed in 2023 at the Joe Mooney Festival in Drumshanbo\, Co. Leitrim\, CAS brings together the artistry of Sebastian Luthers\, Carol Scott\, and Peter Gallagher. In just two years\, they’ve become a standout trio on the Irish and international music scene. Drawing inspiration from the landscapes ranging from Connaught to Auvergne\, CAS weaves intricate melodies and spirited rhythms into their music\, creating a unique sound with a blend of original and traditional Irish music that is both authentic and fresh. In 2025\, Sebastian Luthers released his acclaimed new album The Lost Violin\, featuring original compositions recorded with CAS members Carol Scott and Andy McMenamin and with collaborator Nico Contamine. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/cas-festival-musical-finale/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Music,Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/grunge_audience_1710.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251019T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251019T150000
DTSTAMP:20251002T141838Z
CREATED:20250912T114950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T141838Z
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SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nWhat Audiences Say about The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan: ‘’Incredible show\, wonderful performers”\, “An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”\, “Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling”. \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-10/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
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ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T210000
DTSTAMP:20250926T105339Z
CREATED:20250912T142608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T105339Z
UID:10000656-1760817600-1760821200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Men in Motion – a trio of athletic and hilarious dance pieces presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nTickets €20\, book here \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham\, choreographer \n\n\n\nJohn Scott\, choreographer and dancer \n\n\n\nBoris Charrion\, dancer \n\n\n\nVini Martins Araujo\, dancer \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMEN IN MOTION is an evening of three athletic and hilarious dance pieces\, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in the Abbey\, Edinburgh Fringe and New York\, presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre. The central work is iconic American Choreographer\, Merce Cunningham’s stunning ‘Solo’ followed by firm favourite ACTIONS – a sweeping\, vigorous duet by French dance sensation\, Boris Charrion and acclaimed Brazilian dancer Vini Martins Araujo. John Scott’s Beckett-like Bowing Dance\, completes a programme brimming with energy and adventure. \n\n\n\nSolo – Merce Cunningham \n\n\n\n“Its lunging jumps and scurrying steps appear shockingly wild … highlight the lasting beauty of Cunningham’s movement language. …. always articulated in a crystal-clear vocabulary” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\nThe Bowing Dance \n\n\n\n“the work can feel like a brilliant piece of absurdist theater\, a meditation on identity\, an entry-level primer on choreographic composition or nothing very much at all. Perhaps it’s all those things at once\, which is to say\, art” \n\n\n\nRoslyn Sulcas\, New York Times \n\n\n\nActions \n\n\n\n“within the choreography Scott has managed to blend quick-fire immediacy with slow-burning intellect. ….. there is a satisfying completeness to the dance” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\n“vibrant and witty” \n\n\n\nDonald Hutera\, The Times\, London \n\n\n\n“Daring physical feats? Check. Competitiveness? Check. Underlying\, shrugged-off affection? Check…… vigorous\, sweeping\, canted\, giant-step\, high-kick movements that Scott’s choreography favors ……. It’s wonderfully enjoyable\, skillfully paced\, and full of small surprises….. In its own way\, Actions tells us much about affability under pressure\, diligence\, and a feistiness that doesn’t negate the men’s respect for each other” \n\n\n\nDeborah Jowitt\, The Village Voice\, New York \n\n\n\nIrish Modern Dance Theatre \n\n\n\nFounded in 1991 by dancer and choreographer John Scott\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre is one of the most original and responsive dance companies working in Ireland today. A Dublin-based ensemble\, Scott and international guest choreographers create distinctive dance works with diverse casts\, mixing virtuosic Irish and international dancers with African and Middle Eastern refugees and torture survivors. Our works include ‘Lear’\, ‘Inventions’\, Actions’ and ‘Fall and Recover’ – all recognised for their intelligence\, honesty and humanity. Our work crosses disciplines\, subverts expectations of dance and dancers and finds new ways to explore contemporary issues. Irish Modern Dance Theatre is Strategically funded by the Arts Council. \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohn Scott is a Dublin born choreographer\, performer\, founder and Artistic Director of Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, founder and Artistic Director of Dancer from the Dance Festival\, and a member of Aosdána. He studied and performed at Irish National College of Dance/Dublin City Ballet from 1982 to 1985 in works by Anton Dolin\, Anna Sokolow\, Pearl Gaden and Babil Gandara. \n\n\n\nHis choreographic works include Divine Madness\, Inventions\, Cloud Study\, Everything Now\, Lear\, Fall and Recover\, and Actions. His work has been presented at Dublin Dance Festival\, Galway International Arts Festival\, Kilkenny Arts Festival\, Dublin Fringe Festival and internationally at John F Kennedy Centre\, Washington DC\, New York Live Arts\, La MaMa\, Danspace Project at St Mark’s Church\, PS  122\, New York and Dance Base\, Edinburgh; Sounded Bodies Festival; Queer Zagreb\, Croatia; Les Hivernales\, Avignon; Tanzmesse Dusseldorf; and Forum Cultural Mundial\, Brazil. He danced in Oona Doherty’s Hard to be Soft\, Meredith Monk’s Quarry (Spoleto Festival) and for Yoshiko Chuma\, Sarah Rudner\, Anna Sokolow and Thomas Lehmen. He has collaborated with Pan Pan on Beckett’s QUAD. \n\n\n\nJohn was awarded African Refugee Network’s Culture Award for his work with Refugees and Survivors of Torture and is a subject of Sadlers Wells’ 52 Portraits by Jonathan Burrows\, Matteo Fargion and Hugo Glendinning. He has taught dance and choreography at the Irish World Academy\, University of Limerick; The Body in Performance\, Drama Department\, UCD; Drama Department NUIG; Drexel University\, Philadelphia; University of Colorado at Boulder\, USA and San Jose State University\, CA\, USA. He was a founding board member of Dublin Dance Festival and Dance Ireland. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham (1919-2009) is widely considered to be one of the most important choreographers of all time. His approach to performance was ground breaking in its ideological simplicity and physical complexity: he applied the idea that “a thing is just that thing” to choreography\, embracing the notion that “if the dancer dances\, everything is there.” He also once said\, “Dance is most deeply concerned with each single instant as it comes along\, and its life and vigor and attraction lie in just that singleness. It is as accurate and impermanent as breathing.” \n\n\n\nBorn in Centralia\, Washington on April 16\, 1919\, Cunningham began dancing at a young age. At the Cornish School he first encountered the work of Martha Graham\, who would later invite him to join her company in New York; Cunningham had a six-year tenure as a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company. It was also at Cornish that Cunningham first met John Cage\, who would become the greatest influence on his practice\, his closest collaborator\, and his life partner until Cage’s death in 1992. The first show that included only Cunningham dances\, a series of six solos with music by Cage\, took place in 1944. Four years later\, Cunningham and Cage began a relationship with the famed experimental institution Black Mountain College\, where\, in 1952\, Cunningham\, along with Robert Rauschenberg\, David Tudor\, M.C. Richards\, and Charles Olson\, joined Cage in creating what is often considered the first “Happening.” Also at Black Mountain\, in 1953\, Cunningham first formed a dance company to explore his convention-breaking ideas. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company (originally called Merce Cunningham and Dance Company) would remain in continuous operation until 2011\, with Cunningham as Artistic Director until his death in 2009. In 1971\, Cunningham and his company became original tenants in Westbeth Artist Housing\, remaining in residence there\, along with his studio and school\, until the company’s dissolution. Over the course of his career\, Cunningham choreographed 190 dances and over 700 “Events.” \n\n\n\nCunningham once wrote\, “My work has always been in process. I do not think of each dance as an object\, rather a short stop on the way.” He has described four seminal events that led to large discoveries\, the first two of which came from his work with John Cage. Starting with their early collaborations in the 1940s\, Cage and Cunningham began to propose a number of radical innovations\, the first being the controversial idea that dance and music can occur in the same time and space but be created independently of one another. This separation gave Cunningham “a feeling of freedom for the dance\, not a dependence upon the note-by-note procedure.” A second leap for Cunningham and Cage was the use of chance operations\, a revolutionary form of decision-making in choreography (and\, in the case of Cage\, music) where Cunningham applied chance operations to determine elements of the choreography such as the continuity\, rhythm\, timing\, number of dancers\, and use of space. The use of chance operations led to new discoveries\, “presenting almost constantly situations in which the imagination is challenged.” \n\n\n\nCunningham’s lifelong passion for exploration and innovation made him a leader in applying new technologies to the arts. He credited his work in film in the 1970s as another key inflection point: tapping into the potentials provided by the mobility of the camera\, the ability to cut and thereby alter size and rhythm\, and the highlighting of specific body parts otherwise far less obvious given the distance of the viewer to the stage. In his 70s\, Cunningham continued to experiment\, using the computer software DanceForms to explore movement possibilities before setting them on dancers. He continued to find ways to integrate technology and dance: he explored motion-capture technology to create décor for Hand Drawn Spaces (1998)\, BIPED (1999)\, Loops (2000)\, and Fluid Canvas (2002). His interest in new media led to the creation of Mondays with Merce\, the webcast series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at Cunningham’s and his company’s teaching and rehearsal process. \n\n\n\nWith long-term collaborations with artists like Robert Rauschenberg (who contributed various design elements to over 20 of Cunningham’s dances—sometimes even creating his work onstage in “realtime” during the dance)\, Jasper Johns\, Charles Atlas\, and Elliot Caplan (rethinking the way choreography and dancing bodies could be captured on film)\, Cunningham’s sphere of influence extended deep into the visual arts world. In 2017\, the Walker Art Center retrospective Merce Cunningham: Common Time\, (also at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago)\, investigated the unique working methods\, profound relationships\, and influence of Cunningham\, featuring works from artists like Tacita Dean\, Morris Graves\, Robert Morris\, Bruce Nauman\, Isamu Noguchi\, Yoko Ono\, Nam June Paik\, Carolee Schneemann\, Frank Stella\, Stan VanDerBeek\, and Andy Warhol. \n\n\n\nAn active choreographer and mentor to the arts world until his death at the age of 90\, Cunningham earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts. Among his many awards are the National Medal of Arts (1990) and the MacArthur Fellowship (1985). He also received the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2009\, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in 2005\, the British Laurence Olivier Award in 1985\, and he was named Officier of the Legion d’Honneur in France in 2004. Cunningham’s life and artistic vision have been the subject of several books and numerous major exhibitions\, and his dances have been performed by groups including the Paris Opera Ballet\, New York City Ballet\, American Ballet Theatre\, White Oak Dance Project\, the Lyon Opera Ballet\, Ballett am Rhein\, and London’s Rambert\, to name a few. \n\n\n\nCunningham died in his New York City home on July 26\, 2009. Always forward-thinking\, he oversaw the development of a precedent-setting Legacy Plan prior to his death\, to guide his Company and ensure the preservation of his artistic legacy. Through the Merce Cunningham Trust\, his vision continues to live on\, regenerated time and time again through new bodies and minds. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/men-in-motion-a-trio-of-athletic-and-hilarious-dance-pieces-presented-by-irish-modern-dance-theatre-3/
LOCATION:Ramor Arts Centre\, Virginia\, Cavan\, A82 N9X7
CATEGORIES:Dance,Performance
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T203000
DTSTAMP:20251002T141709Z
CREATED:20250912T120433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T141709Z
UID:10000631-1760815800-1760819400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\n What Audiences Say about The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan: ‘’Incredible show\, wonderful performers”\, “An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”\, “Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling”. \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-11/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
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ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T160000
DTSTAMP:20251002T141646Z
CREATED:20250912T121351Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T141646Z
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SUMMARY:The Journey – live performance presented by Clondalkin Tower Drama Group
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nBeyond the stage\, The Journey serves as a powerful tool for raising public awareness about the lived realities of displaced people in Ireland. By dramatizing the emotional and systemic challenges faced by asylum seekers — from navigating the Direct Provision system (now IPAS) to enduring isolation\, unstable relationships\, and institutional neglect — the play bridges the gap between policy and personal experience. It puts a human face to headlines\, transforming statistics into stories that resonate deeply with audiences. \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nOladipupo Salem\, actor \n\n\n\nMariam Fasipe\, actor \n\n\n\nAfolabi Fasipe\, actor \n\n\n\nAbosede Ogunsola\, actor \n\n\n\nVuvu Mateus Artur\, actor \n\n\n\nArinze Michael Ogbu\, actor \n\n\n\nEbenezer Omole\, actor \n\n\n\nDaniel Appoh\, actor \n\n\n\nJoy Sylvester\, actor \n\n\n\nUche Paul Chukwukem\, actor \n\n\n\nAbiodun Sanni\, actor \n\n\n\nMohammed Shadji\, actor \n\n\n\nUwague Sylvester\, stagehand \n\n\n\nSmart Osazua\, stagehand \n\n\n\nOsakpolor Aigbe\, stagehand \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nThe Journey is a powerful and emotionally charged play exploring themes of migration\, survival\, betrayal\, and resilience. It follows Michael and Joyce\, a couple whose lives are turned upside down after Michael is kidnapped during a risky business trip. After paying a ransom\, the couple is forced to flee their home country and seek asylum in Ireland. \n\n\n\nOnce in Ireland\, the challenges continue — from adjusting to life in IPAS accommodation to the unravelling of their relationship. Michael becomes entangled in a secret affair with Isabella\, leading to emotional abuse\, neglect\, and a deep sense of isolation for Joyce\, who is pregnant and vulnerable. \n\n\n\nThe play weaves in the stories of other migrants and asylum seekers\, like Isabella\, Smart\, Bob\, and Steve\, highlighting a range of personal and social struggles — from romantic betrayal to domestic abuse and systemic hardship. It culminates in a dramatic confrontation revealing Michael’s double life and the emotional toll of displacement on individuals and families. \n\n\n\nThrough intense dialogue\, raw emotion\, and layered storytelling\, The Journey sheds light on the lived experiences of migrants navigating uncertainty\, trauma\, and hope in their search for safety and belonging. \n\n\n\nBeyond the stage\, The Journey serves as a powerful tool for raising public awareness about the lived realities of displaced people in Ireland. By dramatizing the emotional and systemic challenges faced by asylum seekers — from navigating the Direct Provision system (now IPAS) to enduring isolation\, unstable relationships\, and institutional neglect — the play bridges the gap between policy and personal experience. It puts a human face to headlines\, transforming statistics into stories that resonate deeply with audiences. \n\n\n\nThis storytelling fosters understanding and empathy among Irish communities\, many of whom may have limited direct contact with asylum seekers. By engaging viewers emotionally\, it challenges harmful stereotypes and misconceptions\, making visible the everyday struggles and resilience of displaced people. The play also opens up critical conversations around issues such as access to mental health support\, domestic abuse in asylum settings\, and the long-term impact of displacement on families. \n\n\n\nIn community talkbacks\, educational settings\, and public discourse\, The Journey becomes more than entertainment — it becomes activism. It invites policymakers\, service providers\, and the public to reflect on the urgent need for systemic reform and to support more compassionate\, rights-based approaches to asylum and integration in Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe purpose of the company (The Clondalkin Towers Drama group) is to promote\, produce\, and perform theatrical and dramatic works in Clondalkin and surrounding areas\, to encourage participation in and appreciation of the performing arts by the local community\, and to support the integration of International Protection applicants by fostering inclusion\, cultural exchange\, and engagement through drama and community theatre. \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-journey-live-performance-presented-by-clondalkin-tower-drama-group-2/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251018T140000
DTSTAMP:20251001T131650Z
CREATED:20250912T121829Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T131650Z
UID:10000635-1760792400-1760796000@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-12/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T200000
DTSTAMP:20251015T092300Z
CREATED:20250912T124204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T092300Z
UID:10000640-1760727600-1760731200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Seo Chugainn na Mná - Live Stage Performances in Irish of The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II translated by Áine Ní Ghlinn
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nSeo Chugainn na Mná is a creative reimagining of moments from the lives of women during WWII recalling stories of bravery\, sacrifice and love amidst the horror of war\, as women stood up against fascism and totalitarianism and refused to accept oppression. \n\n\n\nThe show is produced by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and supported by Foras na Gaeilge for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Two performances in Irish take place on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 October 2025\, nightly at 7pm\, at the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality space\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin A96V9P1. \n  \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nÁine Ní Ghlinn\, translator \n\n\n\nRob Harrington\, director \n\n\n\nBláthnaid Daly\, actor \n\n\n\nEvanne Kilgallon\, actor \n\n\n\nFéilim James\, writer \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Producer and Company Manager\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nTá áthas ar Lárionad Idirnáisiúnta na nEalaíon agus an Chomhionannais Smashing Times an scríbhneoir mór le rá Áine Ní Ghlinn a choimisiúnú chun an script stáitse bunaidh\, thar a bheith rathúil The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II a aistriú go Gaeilge. Mar chuid den léiriú\, cuirfear ar stáitse filíocht nua Gaeilge de chuid Áine Ní Ghlinn agus aistriú Áine ar At Summer’s End le Féilim James (faoin teideal Deireadh an tSamhraidh). Is athshamhlú cruthaitheach é Seo Chugainn na Mná ar thráthanna ó shaol na mban le linn an Dara Cogadh Domhanda\, ag meabhrú scéalta faoi chrógacht\, íobairt\, agus grá i measc uafáis an chogaidh\, agus mná ag seasamh i gcoinne an fhaisisteachais agus an ollsmachtachais agus ag diúltú glacadh le cos ar bolg. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality are delighted to commission award-winning writer Áine Ní Ghlinn to translate into Irish the original highly successful stage script The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II\, featuring At Summer’s End by Féilim James\, a writer and poet. The Irish language translation includes new poetry by writer Áine Ní Ghlinn. \n\n\n\nSeo Chugainn na Mná is a creative reimagining of moments from the lives of women during WWII recalling stories of bravery\, sacrifice and love amidst the horror of war\, as women stood up against Fascism and totalitarianism and refused to accept oppression. \n\n\n\nThe show is produced by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and supported by Foras na Gaeilge for the annual international Irish  Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Two performances in Irish take place on Thursday 16 and Friday 17  October 2025\, nightly at 7pm\, at the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality space\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin A96V9P1.  \n\n\n\nWomen’s stories that have inspired the performance are: \n\n\n\nMary Elmes (1908-2002) from Cork\, was the first Irish person honoured as ‘Righteous Among Nations’ for her work saving Jewish children from the Nazi gas chambers during World War II. Mary recalls her work with refugees\, firstly in Almería in Spain\, during the Spanish Civil War\, and then in France during WWII\, assisting Spanish refugees and then Jewish people interned in Rivesaltes Internment camp when France falls to the Nazis. \nEttie Steinberg  (1914-42)\,  a Jewish Irish citizen known to have been murdered in Auschwitz Concentration and Extermination camp built and operated by the Nazis in occupied Poland during World War II. Ettie was murdered along with her husband Vogtieck and young son Leon. \n\n\n\nSince the Irish language was recognised as a fully official and working language at European level in late 2021\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality  have been incorporating the Irish language into performances to create bi-lingual shows promoting human rights and equality across Ireland and Europe. The company is embracing this opportunity to deliver our renowned show\, Mná i Láthair\, as our second performance delivered fully through Irish. \n\n\n\nIrish Language Productions \n\n\n\nAs part of its focus on the Irish Language\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality have produced events in Irish since 2022. \n\n\n\nAr Snámh by the award-winning Irish language writer Seán Mac Dhonnagáin\, was performed by Bláthnaid Daly\, directed by Hilary Bowen-Walsh and produced by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality for the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in 2024. The creative consultant was Mary Moynihan\, writer\, theatre and filmmaker\, Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. Translations were by Seán MacDhonnagáin. The show was presented as part of the Aisling programme supporting emerging and established artists working in the Irish language with a focus on the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nIs dráma é Ar Snámh a leanann Jane\, bean óg a d’fhág Baile Átha Cliath agus í ina páiste\, agus í anois ag filleadh ar a cathair dúchais tríd taisteal suas an Life i ndingí ó Lidl. Ar an mbealach\, déanann Jane macnamh ar na heachtraí a chuir ar an mbóthar seo í\, ó bhás a hathar agus í óg go dtí an caidreamh nua atá ag fás idir í féin agus buachaill áitiúil\, Stiofán. Ar an turas seo\, labhrann Jane isteach i dtéipthaifeadán a d’fhág a hathair aici\, í ag insint dó faoin saol atá aici agus na deacrachtaí atá aici mar dhuine óg i mbaile beag. Tosaíonn sí ag dul siar ar chomhráite le daoine éagsúla ina saol\, go háirithe ar eachtraí a bhain lena cairde agus lena teaghlach. Foghlaimíd faoi scéal Jane agus í ag oirbriú amach cad atá i ndán di sa chéad chaibidil eile dá saol. \n\n\n\nTwo performances  of Ar Snámh in Irish took place in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, Dublin 2\, D02 K037 on Friday 18 October and Saturday 19 October\, nightly at 7.30pm. Each performance was followed by a post-show panel discussion with the artists and guest speakers on the theme of ‘The Irish Language and the Arts: Unique forms of expression to promote equality\, human rights and diversity’. The chair was Seán MacDhonnagáin and the speakers each night were the director Hilary Bowen-Walsh and actor Bláthnaid Daly. \n\n\n\nIs dráma é Ar Snámh a leanann Jane\, bean óg a d’fhág Baile Átha Cliath agus í ina páiste\, agus í anois ag filleadh ar a cathair dúchais tríd taisteal suas an Life i ndingí ó Lidl. Ar an mbealach\, déanann Jane macnamh ar na heachtraí a chuir ar an mbóthar seo í\, ó bhás a hathar agus í óg go dtí an caidreamh nua atá ag fás idir í féin agus buachaill áitiúil\, Stiofán. Ar an turas seo\, labhrann Jane isteach i dtéipthaifeadán a d’fhág a hathair aici\, í ag insint dó faoin saol atá aici agus na deacrachtaí atá aici mar dhuine óg i mbaile beag. Tosaíonn sí ag dul siar ar chomhráite le daoine éagsúla ina saol\, go háirithe ar eachtraí a bhain lena cairde agus lena teaghlach. Foghlaimíd faoi scéal Jane agus í ag oirbriú amach cad atá i ndán di sa chéad chaibidil eile dá saol. \n\n\n\nAr Snámh won Best One-Act Play in the literary competition at Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2018.  Ar Snámh follows Jane\, a young woman who moved away from Dublin as a child\, as she returns to her home county by travelling up the Liffey in a dinghy she bought in Lidl. Along the way\, Jane considers the moments that have led her to this journey\, from the death of her father when she was a child to the budding relationship she is developing with a local lad\, Stephen. Along her journey\, Jane recalls conversations with various people in her life\, playing the parts of friends and family members as she gives us a view of her past and tries to work out her future as well as reflecting on the housing crisis that is impacting on the lives of people today. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality were delighted to work with Irish language author Seán MacDhonnagáin to present Ar Snámh and to support the Irish language. Special thanks to Theatre in Palm\, Creative Europe and the Scéim na gCompántas Drámaíochta Proifisiúnta agus Amaitéarach 2024/Professional and Amateur Drama Companies’ Scheme 2024 supported by Foras na Gaeilge. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times are dedicated to promoting artistic and creative work in the Irish language with a focus on original material that addresses issues and concerns impacting on communities today with a focus on equality\, human rights and diversity. The company is dedicated to supporting the professional development of artists and the professional presentation of their artistic creations in the Irish language to as wide an audience as possible.  All Irish language productions and everts are presented as part of the Smashing Times Aisling Programme celebrating the Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Programme \n\n\n\nCelebrating Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Programme supports emerging and established artists working in the Irish language with a focus on the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity. The programme features workshops\, performances\, poetry\, literature\, music and creative conversations in both Irish and English\, alongside the commissioning and presentation of original artworks in Irish\, celebrating the Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity for all across the island of Ireland. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times support the Irish language as our national language and believe a commitment to Irish as the official language of the Republic of Ireland is a key element for the development of the company. The Aisling Programme is a Creative Arts Programme for Equality\, Human Rights and Diversity with workshops\, performances and creative conversations in both Irish and English\, using the arts to promote and celebrate the Irish language and the arts linked to equality\, human rights\, diversity\, health and well-being\,  leadership training\, inclusion and peace. \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Project fosters and promotes the Irish language and the arts through Irish as well as bilingually as an integral part of the company\, network and festival programme and provides a stage for the Irish language community linked  to the arts sector. Smashing Times are delighted to partner and work with artists who work in the Irish language and who are interested in using the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nForas na Gaeilge \n\n\n\nOur Irish language events are supported by Foras na Gaeilge\, a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland\, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Foras na Gaeilge supports the community through the areas of community\, private business sector\, the arts\, the public sector\, education\, youth and the media. The organisation plays a role in advising governments\, north and south\, and public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors in all matters relating to the Irish language. www.forasnagaeilge.ie \n\n\n\nOpen Call to Artists \n\n\n\nArts and Human Rights Network available through Irish \n\n\n\nWe want You \n\n\n\nSmashing Times wish to support the Irish language as our national language and believe a commitment to Irish as the official language of the Republic of Ireland is a key element for the development of the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. We are inviting you to join with us and to take part in Aisling: A programme of the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality celebrating the Irish language and the arts linked to equality\, human rights\, diversity\, inclusion and peace. As part of this work we are looking for key artists who speak Irish  to become involved in the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights network and we are now developing an Irish language section as part of the network. We invite you to take part in this unique network for artists\, individuals and communities interested in linking the Irish language and the arts for the promotion of  human rights\, equality and diversity. \n\n\n\nJoin the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Irish Language network as Gaeilge across Ireland\, linking with artists\, activists and individuals who are interested in using the arts to promote human rights\, equality and diversity through the Irish language. \n\n\n\nA core strategic aim is to ensure a strand of the Smashing Times International Cenre for the Arts and Equality is conducted through and promotes the Irish language. The centre is situated at 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, Ireland and operates across Ireland with a European and international reach\, and we believe that as Irish is our national language and a recognised language within the EU it is essential that the centre incorporates the Irish language as an integral and core part of the overall work.  The aim is to provide a community-orientated Irish language arts and human rights service to the Irish speaking community of Dublin and across Ireland\, Northern Ireland and internationally on a non-profit basis. \n\n\n\nIf you are an artist\, community group member or a member of the general public and are interested in using the Irish language through the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity\,  and would like to join the Arts and Human  Right network\, do get in touch. All welcome. \n\n\n\nAs a member\, you will \n\n\n\n\nReceive exclusive invitations to online and onsite networking events.\n\n\n\nMeet like-minded artists and people who believe in the power of the arts to promote human rights issues.\n\n\n\nReceive invitations to Smashing Times events across Ireland.\n\n\n\nBe contacted with opportunities to share your work or perform at Smashing Times events across Ireland.\n\n\n\nConnect through a monthly newsletter\, weekly bulletin; and through attendance at bi-monthly online or onsite meetings\n\n\n\n\nResource and Advice service available through Irish promoting the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity \n\n\n\nThis entails the translation of existing information into the Irish language and providing up-to-date information on resources\, grants and opportunities through Irish for artists and communities using the Irish language and creative processes to promote equality\, human rights and diversity for all. \n\n\n\nDream of Freedom / Aisling na Saoirse \n\n\n\nA Dream of Equality / Aisling an Chomhionannais \n\n\n\nIn Irish we say \n\n\n\nFáilte for Welcome \n\n\n\nAisling for Dream or Vision \n\n\n\nSaoirse for Freedom \n\n\n\nComhionannas for Equality \n\n\n\nCruthaitheach for Creative \n\n\n\nSuaimhneas for Peace \n\n\n\nAmhrán for Song \n\n\n\nCroí for heart \n\n\n\nGrá for Love \n\n\n\nMacnas for playfulness \n\n\n\nDraíocht for Magic \n\n\n\nAbhainn for River \n\n\n\nÓiche for night \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRob has enjoyed both national and international tours over the past 19 years of his acting career. He has most recently performed Tales from an Afterworld (WB Yeats)\, written by Féilim James and directed by Geraldine McAlinden in Áras an Uachtaráin for President Michael D Higgins. Some of his favourite theatre productions include The Shadow of a Gunman (The New Theatre\, directed by Ronan Wilmot)\, Pinter x 4 (Pearse Centre\, directed by Peter Reid)\, Scabs (Theatre Upstairs directed by Liam Halligan) In Arabia We’d all be Kings (Beckett Theatre\, directed by Liam Hallihan)\, Mary Stuart (The Grand Lodge\, Liam Halligan) and La Locandiera (Edinburgh Fringe festival\, directed Alice Coghlan). His screen work includes ‘A date for Mad Mary’\, ‘Vaudevillians’\, ‘The Comeback’\, ‘Twitchy’\, ‘The saviour of Dublin City’\, ‘Ctrl’\, ‘The Guarantee’\, ‘The Enchanted Island’\, ‘Two Margaritas and one Daiquiri’ amongst other independent films. Rob is also a seasoned theatre and screen workshop facilitator. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBláthnaid Daly is an actor and writer from Co.Westmeath. In 2021\, she graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting. She frequently works as a voiceover artist\, dubbing cartoons in the Irish language.Recent theatre credits include her own one woman\, bilingual English/Irishcomedy Connemarvellous\, (Scene + Heard)\, Heartstring (Scatterdream Theatre Company)\, An Triail (Fíbín)\, Fionn agus an Bradán Feasa (Fíbín)\, Prawn Cocktail (Colour & Ducks Theatre Company)\, In the Midst of Plenty (Enchanted Croí Theatre)\, Space Deli The Musical (Pay Attention! Collective) and Catastrophe Bay (National Youth Music Theatre)\, Ar Snámh (Smashing Times)\, Seachtopus (High Rock Productions) and Mountain River (Gerard Humphreys).Screen credits include Homofónia (Alana Daly Mulligan and Luke Murphy). \n\n\n\nIs aisteoir agus scríbhneoir  as Contae na hIarmhí í Bláthnaid Daly. Sa bhliain 2021\, chríochnaigh sí an cúrsa Lánaimseartha sa Gaiety School of Acting. Tá an suim aici obair trí Ghaeilge\, chomh maith le obair dátheangach\, a dhéanamh. \nOibríonn Bláthnaid go minic mar aisteoir gutha freisin\, ag dubáil cartúin i nGaeilge le Macalla Teoranta. \nSa bhliain 2021\, fuair sí Agility Award ón gComhairle Ealaíon chun a dráma aonair\, dátheangach Béarla/Gaeilge Connemarvellous a fhorbairt faoi mheantóireacht Clare Monnelly. Rinneadh an chéad léiriú i mí Feabhra 2022\, mar chuid den féile Scene and Heard\, faoi stiúir Gene Rooney. \nAr na saothair amharclainne a luaitear lena hainm tá Heartstring (Scatterdream Theatre Company)\, An Triail (Fíbín)\, Fionn agus an Bradán Feasa (Fíbín)\, Prawn Cocktail (Colour & Ducks Theatre Company)\, In the Midst of Plenty (Enchanted Croí Theatre) Space Deli The Musical (Pay Attention! Collective)\, Catastrophe Bay (National Youth Music Theatre)\, Ar Snámh (Smashing Times)\, Seachtopus (High Rock Productions) agus Mountain River (Gerard Humphreys). \nAr na saothair scannáin a luaitear lena hainm tá The Wake (Megan K. Fox Films) agus Homofónia (Alana Daly Mulligan and Luke Murphy) a bhuaigh ‘Best Irish Language Short Film’ ag an Fastnet Film Festival i 2024. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvanne Kilgallon is an Actor and Writer from the West of Ireland. Evanne plays Shelly in Chris O’Dowd’s highly anticipated ‘Small Town Big Story’ for Sky Tv and Now Tv\, released February 2025. Other screen credits include the lead role of Meabh in ‘Poitín’ (BlocTG4) and series regular Kate in ‘Obituary’ for RTÉ/Netflix/HULU. \n\n\n\nIs aisteoir agus scríbhneoir í Evanne Kilgallon ó chontae Shligigh. Le déanaí\, ghlac sí pairt Shelly sa sraith teilifíse Small Town\, Big Story (Sky Studios\, cruthaithe ag Chris O’Dowd). I measc na gcreidiúintí scáileáin eile tá Meabh i Poitín (BlocTG4) agus Kate sa sraith Obituary (RTÉ/Netflix/Hulu). Ar an stáitse tá seóanna éagsúla déanta aici\, mar shampla The Twenty Club (Bewley’s Theatre)\, Circle of Friends (The Gaiety Theatre)\, Talk To Me (Glass Mask Theatre)\, Bench Tales (Barnstorm Theatre Co) agus eile.Mar dhéantóir amharclainne\, scríobh agus léirigh Evanne a céad dráma AN LÁR (GlassMask Theatre)\, a fuair moladh ó na léirmheastóirí agus ón lucht féachana araon. Lean sí seo le seó-aon-mhná Jester’s Privilege\, a léiríodh ag Scene + Heard agus ar thuras geimhreadh. Le linn an tsamhraidh\, chuir sí a seó nua TECHNOPOETICA ar súil ag Electric Picnic agus bhí a céad dráma raidió Have Ye No Homes To Go To? cuartha ar ghearrliosta ar RTÉ Drama on One.D’fhreastail Evanne ar Ghaelscoil Cnoc na Ré i Shligigh agus thit sí i ngrá leis an Ghaeilge. Is minic a scrúdaíonn a cuid scríbhneoireachta feimineachas\, miotaseolaíocht na hÉireann\, dátheangachas\, agus úsáid greann dorcha chun ábhair dheacra a réiteach. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/seo-chugainn-na-mna-live-stage-performances-in-irish-of-the-woman-is-present-womens-stories-of-world-war-ii-translated-by-aine-ni-ghlinn/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Seo-Chugainn-na-Mna.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T130000
DTSTAMP:20251001T131432Z
CREATED:20250912T125629Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T131432Z
UID:10000642-1760702400-1760706000@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-13/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251017T110000
DTSTAMP:20251001T131253Z
CREATED:20250912T130052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T131253Z
UID:10000643-1760695200-1760698800@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nNo Booking Necessary \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \n\n\n\nShare your favourite Tree \n\n\n\nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \n\n\n\nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \n\n\n\nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \n\n\n\nThe Social Life of Trees \n\n\n\n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-14/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T200000
DTSTAMP:20250926T105331Z
CREATED:20250912T142104Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T105331Z
UID:10000655-1760641200-1760644800@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Men in Motion – a trio of athletic and hilarious dance pieces presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nTickets €18/€15\, book here \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham\, choreographer \n\n\n\nJohn Scott\, choreographer and dancer \n\n\n\nBoris Charrion\, dancer \n\n\n\nVini Martins Araujo\, dancer \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMEN IN MOTION is an evening of three athletic and hilarious dance pieces\, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in the Abbey\, Edinburgh Fringe and New York\, presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre. The central work is iconic American Choreographer\, Merce Cunningham’s stunning ‘Solo’ followed by firm favourite ACTIONS – a sweeping\, vigorous duet by French dance sensation\, Boris Charrion and acclaimed Brazilian dancer Vini Martins Araujo. John Scott’s Beckett-like Bowing Dance\, completes a programme brimming with energy and adventure. \n\n\n\nSolo – Merce Cunningham \n\n\n\n“Its lunging jumps and scurrying steps appear shockingly wild … highlight the lasting beauty of Cunningham’s movement language. …. always articulated in a crystal-clear vocabulary” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\nThe Bowing Dance \n\n\n\n“the work can feel like a brilliant piece of absurdist theater\, a meditation on identity\, an entry-level primer on choreographic composition or nothing very much at all. Perhaps it’s all those things at once\, which is to say\, art” \n\n\n\nRoslyn Sulcas\, New York Times \n\n\n\nActions \n\n\n\n“within the choreography Scott has managed to blend quick-fire immediacy with slow-burning intellect. ….. there is a satisfying completeness to the dance” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\n“vibrant and witty” \n\n\n\nDonald Hutera\, The Times\, London \n\n\n\n“Daring physical feats? Check. Competitiveness? Check. Underlying\, shrugged-off affection? Check…… vigorous\, sweeping\, canted\, giant-step\, high-kick movements that Scott’s choreography favors ……. It’s wonderfully enjoyable\, skillfully paced\, and full of small surprises….. In its own way\, Actions tells us much about affability under pressure\, diligence\, and a feistiness that doesn’t negate the men’s respect for each other” \n\n\n\nDeborah Jowitt\, The Village Voice\, New York \n\n\n\nIrish Modern Dance Theatre \n\n\n\nFounded in 1991 by dancer and choreographer John Scott\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre is one of the most original and responsive dance companies working in Ireland today. A Dublin-based ensemble\, Scott and international guest choreographers create distinctive dance works with diverse casts\, mixing virtuosic Irish and international dancers with African and Middle Eastern refugees and torture survivors. Our works include ‘Lear’\, ‘Inventions’\, Actions’ and ‘Fall and Recover’ – all recognised for their intelligence\, honesty and humanity. Our work crosses disciplines\, subverts expectations of dance and dancers and finds new ways to explore contemporary issues. Irish Modern Dance Theatre is Strategically funded by the Arts Council. \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohn Scott is a Dublin born choreographer\, performer\, founder and Artistic Director of Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, founder and Artistic Director of Dancer from the Dance Festival\, and a member of Aosdána. He studied and performed at Irish National College of Dance/Dublin City Ballet from 1982 to 1985 in works by Anton Dolin\, Anna Sokolow\, Pearl Gaden and Babil Gandara. \n\n\n\nHis choreographic works include Divine Madness\, Inventions\, Cloud Study\, Everything Now\, Lear\, Fall and Recover\, and Actions. His work has been presented at Dublin Dance Festival\, Galway International Arts Festival\, Kilkenny Arts Festival\, Dublin Fringe Festival and internationally at John F Kennedy Centre\, Washington DC\, New York Live Arts\, La MaMa\, Danspace Project at St Mark’s Church\, PS  122\, New York and Dance Base\, Edinburgh; Sounded Bodies Festival; Queer Zagreb\, Croatia; Les Hivernales\, Avignon; Tanzmesse Dusseldorf; and Forum Cultural Mundial\, Brazil. He danced in Oona Doherty’s Hard to be Soft\, Meredith Monk’s Quarry (Spoleto Festival) and for Yoshiko Chuma\, Sarah Rudner\, Anna Sokolow and Thomas Lehmen. He has collaborated with Pan Pan on Beckett’s QUAD. \n\n\n\nJohn was awarded African Refugee Network’s Culture Award for his work with Refugees and Survivors of Torture and is a subject of Sadlers Wells’ 52 Portraits by Jonathan Burrows\, Matteo Fargion and Hugo Glendinning. He has taught dance and choreography at the Irish World Academy\, University of Limerick; The Body in Performance\, Drama Department\, UCD; Drama Department NUIG; Drexel University\, Philadelphia; University of Colorado at Boulder\, USA and San Jose State University\, CA\, USA. He was a founding board member of Dublin Dance Festival and Dance Ireland. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham (1919-2009) is widely considered to be one of the most important choreographers of all time. His approach to performance was ground breaking in its ideological simplicity and physical complexity: he applied the idea that “a thing is just that thing” to choreography\, embracing the notion that “if the dancer dances\, everything is there.” He also once said\, “Dance is most deeply concerned with each single instant as it comes along\, and its life and vigor and attraction lie in just that singleness. It is as accurate and impermanent as breathing.” \n\n\n\nBorn in Centralia\, Washington on April 16\, 1919\, Cunningham began dancing at a young age. At the Cornish School he first encountered the work of Martha Graham\, who would later invite him to join her company in New York; Cunningham had a six-year tenure as a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company. It was also at Cornish that Cunningham first met John Cage\, who would become the greatest influence on his practice\, his closest collaborator\, and his life partner until Cage’s death in 1992. The first show that included only Cunningham dances\, a series of six solos with music by Cage\, took place in 1944. Four years later\, Cunningham and Cage began a relationship with the famed experimental institution Black Mountain College\, where\, in 1952\, Cunningham\, along with Robert Rauschenberg\, David Tudor\, M.C. Richards\, and Charles Olson\, joined Cage in creating what is often considered the first “Happening.” Also at Black Mountain\, in 1953\, Cunningham first formed a dance company to explore his convention-breaking ideas. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company (originally called Merce Cunningham and Dance Company) would remain in continuous operation until 2011\, with Cunningham as Artistic Director until his death in 2009. In 1971\, Cunningham and his company became original tenants in Westbeth Artist Housing\, remaining in residence there\, along with his studio and school\, until the company’s dissolution. Over the course of his career\, Cunningham choreographed 190 dances and over 700 “Events.” \n\n\n\nCunningham once wrote\, “My work has always been in process. I do not think of each dance as an object\, rather a short stop on the way.” He has described four seminal events that led to large discoveries\, the first two of which came from his work with John Cage. Starting with their early collaborations in the 1940s\, Cage and Cunningham began to propose a number of radical innovations\, the first being the controversial idea that dance and music can occur in the same time and space but be created independently of one another. This separation gave Cunningham “a feeling of freedom for the dance\, not a dependence upon the note-by-note procedure.” A second leap for Cunningham and Cage was the use of chance operations\, a revolutionary form of decision-making in choreography (and\, in the case of Cage\, music) where Cunningham applied chance operations to determine elements of the choreography such as the continuity\, rhythm\, timing\, number of dancers\, and use of space. The use of chance operations led to new discoveries\, “presenting almost constantly situations in which the imagination is challenged.” \n\n\n\nCunningham’s lifelong passion for exploration and innovation made him a leader in applying new technologies to the arts. He credited his work in film in the 1970s as another key inflection point: tapping into the potentials provided by the mobility of the camera\, the ability to cut and thereby alter size and rhythm\, and the highlighting of specific body parts otherwise far less obvious given the distance of the viewer to the stage. In his 70s\, Cunningham continued to experiment\, using the computer software DanceForms to explore movement possibilities before setting them on dancers. He continued to find ways to integrate technology and dance: he explored motion-capture technology to create décor for Hand Drawn Spaces (1998)\, BIPED (1999)\, Loops (2000)\, and Fluid Canvas (2002). His interest in new media led to the creation of Mondays with Merce\, the webcast series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at Cunningham’s and his company’s teaching and rehearsal process. \n\n\n\nWith long-term collaborations with artists like Robert Rauschenberg (who contributed various design elements to over 20 of Cunningham’s dances—sometimes even creating his work onstage in “realtime” during the dance)\, Jasper Johns\, Charles Atlas\, and Elliot Caplan (rethinking the way choreography and dancing bodies could be captured on film)\, Cunningham’s sphere of influence extended deep into the visual arts world. In 2017\, the Walker Art Center retrospective Merce Cunningham: Common Time\, (also at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago)\, investigated the unique working methods\, profound relationships\, and influence of Cunningham\, featuring works from artists like Tacita Dean\, Morris Graves\, Robert Morris\, Bruce Nauman\, Isamu Noguchi\, Yoko Ono\, Nam June Paik\, Carolee Schneemann\, Frank Stella\, Stan VanDerBeek\, and Andy Warhol. \n\n\n\nAn active choreographer and mentor to the arts world until his death at the age of 90\, Cunningham earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts. Among his many awards are the National Medal of Arts (1990) and the MacArthur Fellowship (1985). He also received the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2009\, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in 2005\, the British Laurence Olivier Award in 1985\, and he was named Officier of the Legion d’Honneur in France in 2004. Cunningham’s life and artistic vision have been the subject of several books and numerous major exhibitions\, and his dances have been performed by groups including the Paris Opera Ballet\, New York City Ballet\, American Ballet Theatre\, White Oak Dance Project\, the Lyon Opera Ballet\, Ballett am Rhein\, and London’s Rambert\, to name a few. \n\n\n\nCunningham died in his New York City home on July 26\, 2009. Always forward-thinking\, he oversaw the development of a precedent-setting Legacy Plan prior to his death\, to guide his Company and ensure the preservation of his artistic legacy. Through the Merce Cunningham Trust\, his vision continues to live on\, regenerated time and time again through new bodies and minds. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/men-in-motion-a-trio-of-athletic-and-hilarious-dance-pieces-presented-by-irish-modern-dance-theatre-2/
LOCATION:Wexford Arts Centre\, Cornmarket\, Wexford\, Y35 X5HF
CATEGORIES:Dance,Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/John-Scott-202525108-High-RES-by-Patricio-Cassinoni.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T200000
DTSTAMP:20251015T092334Z
CREATED:20250912T124943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T092334Z
UID:10000641-1760641200-1760644800@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Seo Chugainn na Mná – Live Stage Performances in Irish of The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II translated by Áine Ní Ghlinn
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nSeo Chugainn na Mná is a creative reimagining of moments from the lives of women during WWII recalling stories of bravery\, sacrifice and love amidst the horror of war\, as women stood up against fascism and totalitarianism and refused to accept oppression. \n\n\n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nÁine Ní Ghlinn\, translator \n\n\n\nRob Harrington\, director \n\n\n\nBláthnaid Daly\, actor \n\n\n\nEvanne Kilgallon\, actor \n\n\n\nFéilim James\, writer \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Producer and Company Manager\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nTá áthas ar Lárionad Idirnáisiúnta na nEalaíon agus an Chomhionannais Smashing Times an scríbhneoir mór le rá Áine Ní Ghlinn a choimisiúnú chun an script stáitse bunaidh\, thar a bheith rathúil The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II a aistriú go Gaeilge. Mar chuid den léiriú\, cuirfear ar stáitse filíocht nua Gaeilge de chuid Áine Ní Ghlinn agus aistriú Áine ar At Summer’s End le Féilim James (faoin teideal Deireadh an tSamhraidh). Is athshamhlú cruthaitheach é Seo Chugainn na Mná ar thráthanna ó shaol na mban le linn an Dara Cogadh Domhanda\, ag meabhrú scéalta faoi chrógacht\, íobairt\, agus grá i measc uafáis an chogaidh\, agus mná ag seasamh i gcoinne an fhaisisteachais agus an ollsmachtachais agus ag diúltú glacadh le cos ar bolg. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality are delighted to commission award-winning writer Áine Ní Ghlinn to translate into Irish the original highly successful stage script The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of World War II\, featuring At Summer’s End by writer Féilim James. The Irish language translation includes new poetry by writer Áine Ní Ghlinn. \n\n\n\nSeo Chugainn na Mná is a creative reimagining of moments from the lives of women during WWII recalling stories of bravery\, sacrifice and love amidst the horror of war\, as women stood up against Fascism and totalitarianism and refused to accept oppression. \n\n\n\nThe show is produced by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and supported by Foras na Gaeilge for the annual international Irish  Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Two performances in Irish take place on Thursday 16 and Friday 17  October 2025\, nightly at 7pm\, at the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality space\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin A96V9P1.  \n\n\n\nWomen’s stories that have inspired the performance are: \n\n\n\nMary Elmes (1908-2002) from Cork\, was the first Irish person honoured as ‘Righteous Among Nations’ for her work saving Jewish children from the Nazi gas chambers during World War II. Mary recalls her work with refugees\, firstly in Almería in Spain\, during the Spanish Civil War\, and then in France during WWII\, assisting Spanish refugees and then Jewish people interned in Rivesaltes Internment camp when France falls to the Nazis. \n\n\n\nEttie Steinberg  (1914-42)\,  a Jewish Irish citizen known to have been murdered in Auschwitz Concentration and Extermination camp built and operated by the Nazis in occupied Poland during World War II. Ettie was murdered along with her husband Vogtieck and young son Leon. \n\n\n\nSince the Irish language was recognised as a fully official and working language at European level in late 2021\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality  have been incorporating the Irish language into performances to create bi-lingual shows promoting human rights and equality across Ireland and Europe. The company is embracing this opportunity to deliver our renowned show\, Mná i Láthair\, as our second performance delivered fully through Irish. \n\n\n\nIrish Language Productions \n\n\n\nAs part of its focus on the Irish Language\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality have produced events in Irish since 2022. \n\n\n\nAr Snámh by the award-winning Irish language writer Seán Mac Dhonnagáin\, was performed by Bláthnaid Daly\, directed by Hilary Bowen-Walsh and produced by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality for the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in 2024. The creative consultant was Mary Moynihan\, writer\, theatre and filmmaker\, Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. Translations were by Seán MacDhonnagáin. The show was presented as part of the Aisling programme supporting emerging and established artists working in the Irish language with a focus on the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nIs dráma é Ar Snámh a leanann Jane\, bean óg a d’fhág Baile Átha Cliath agus í ina páiste\, agus í anois ag filleadh ar a cathair dúchais tríd taisteal suas an Life i ndingí ó Lidl. Ar an mbealach\, déanann Jane macnamh ar na heachtraí a chuir ar an mbóthar seo í\, ó bhás a hathar agus í óg go dtí an caidreamh nua atá ag fás idir í féin agus buachaill áitiúil\, Stiofán. Ar an turas seo\, labhrann Jane isteach i dtéipthaifeadán a d’fhág a hathair aici\, í ag insint dó faoin saol atá aici agus na deacrachtaí atá aici mar dhuine óg i mbaile beag. Tosaíonn sí ag dul siar ar chomhráite le daoine éagsúla ina saol\, go háirithe ar eachtraí a bhain lena cairde agus lena teaghlach. Foghlaimíd faoi scéal Jane agus í ag oirbriú amach cad atá i ndán di sa chéad chaibidil eile dá saol. \n\n\n\nTwo performances  of Ar Snámh in Irish took place in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, Dublin 2\, D02 K037 on Friday 18 October and Saturday 19 October\, nightly at 7.30pm. Each performance was followed by a post-show panel discussion with the artists and guest speakers on the theme of ‘The Irish Language and the Arts: Unique forms of expression to promote equality\, human rights and diversity’. The chair was Seán MacDhonnagáin and the speakers each night were the director Hilary Bowen-Walsh and actor Bláthnaid Daly. \n\n\n\nIs dráma é Ar Snámh a leanann Jane\, bean óg a d’fhág Baile Átha Cliath agus í ina páiste\, agus í anois ag filleadh ar a cathair dúchais tríd taisteal suas an Life i ndingí ó Lidl. Ar an mbealach\, déanann Jane macnamh ar na heachtraí a chuir ar an mbóthar seo í\, ó bhás a hathar agus í óg go dtí an caidreamh nua atá ag fás idir í féin agus buachaill áitiúil\, Stiofán. Ar an turas seo\, labhrann Jane isteach i dtéipthaifeadán a d’fhág a hathair aici\, í ag insint dó faoin saol atá aici agus na deacrachtaí atá aici mar dhuine óg i mbaile beag. Tosaíonn sí ag dul siar ar chomhráite le daoine éagsúla ina saol\, go háirithe ar eachtraí a bhain lena cairde agus lena teaghlach. Foghlaimíd faoi scéal Jane agus í ag oirbriú amach cad atá i ndán di sa chéad chaibidil eile dá saol. \n\n\n\nAr Snámh won Best One-Act Play in the literary competition at Oireachtas na Gaeilge 2018.  Ar Snámh follows Jane\, a young woman who moved away from Dublin as a child\, as she returns to her home county by travelling up the Liffey in a dinghy she bought in Lidl. Along the way\, Jane considers the moments that have led her to this journey\, from the death of her father when she was a child to the budding relationship she is developing with a local lad\, Stephen. Along her journey\, Jane recalls conversations with various people in her life\, playing the parts of friends and family members as she gives us a view of her past and tries to work out her future as well as reflecting on the housing crisis that is impacting on the lives of people today. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality were delighted to work with Irish language author Seán MacDhonnagáin to present Ar Snámh and to support the Irish language. Special thanks to Theatre in Palm\, Creative Europe and the Scéim na gCompántas Drámaíochta Proifisiúnta agus Amaitéarach 2024/Professional and Amateur Drama Companies’ Scheme 2024 supported by Foras na Gaeilge. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times are dedicated to promoting artistic and creative work in the Irish language with a focus on original material that addresses issues and concerns impacting on communities today with a focus on equality\, human rights and diversity. The company is dedicated to supporting the professional development of artists and the professional presentation of their artistic creations in the Irish language to as wide an audience as possible.  All Irish language productions and everts are presented as part of the Smashing Times Aisling Programme celebrating the Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Programme \n\n\n\nCelebrating Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Programme supports emerging and established artists working in the Irish language with a focus on the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity. The programme features workshops\, performances\, poetry\, literature\, music and creative conversations in both Irish and English\, alongside the commissioning and presentation of original artworks in Irish\, celebrating the Irish language and the power of the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity for all across the island of Ireland. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times support the Irish language as our national language and believe a commitment to Irish as the official language of the Republic of Ireland is a key element for the development of the company. The Aisling Programme is a Creative Arts Programme for Equality\, Human Rights and Diversity with workshops\, performances and creative conversations in both Irish and English\, using the arts to promote and celebrate the Irish language and the arts linked to equality\, human rights\, diversity\, health and well-being\,  leadership training\, inclusion and peace. \n\n\n\nThe Aisling Project fosters and promotes the Irish language and the arts through Irish as well as bilingually as an integral part of the company\, network and festival programme and provides a stage for the Irish language community linked  to the arts sector. Smashing Times are delighted to partner and work with artists who work in the Irish language and who are interested in using the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity. \n\n\n\nForas na Gaeilge \n\n\n\nOur Irish language events are supported by Foras na Gaeilge\, a public body responsible for the promotion of the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland\, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Foras na Gaeilge supports the community through the areas of community\, private business sector\, the arts\, the public sector\, education\, youth and the media. The organisation plays a role in advising governments\, north and south\, and public bodies and other groups in the private and voluntary sectors in all matters relating to the Irish language. www.forasnagaeilge.ie \n\n\n\nOpen Call to Artists \n\n\n\nArts and Human Rights Network available through Irish \n\n\n\nWe want You \n\n\n\nSmashing Times wish to support the Irish language as our national language and believe a commitment to Irish as the official language of the Republic of Ireland is a key element for the development of the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality. We are inviting you to join with us and to take part in Aisling: A programme of the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality celebrating the Irish language and the arts linked to equality\, human rights\, diversity\, inclusion and peace. As part of this work we are looking for key artists who speak Irish  to become involved in the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights network and we are now developing an Irish language section as part of the network. We invite you to take part in this unique network for artists\, individuals and communities interested in linking the Irish language and the arts for the promotion of  human rights\, equality and diversity. \n\n\n\nJoin the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Irish Language network as Gaeilge across Ireland\, linking with artists\, activists and individuals who are interested in using the arts to promote human rights\, equality and diversity through the Irish language. \n\n\n\nA core strategic aim is to ensure a strand of the Smashing Times International Cenre for the Arts and Equality is conducted through and promotes the Irish language. The centre is situated at 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, Ireland and operates across Ireland with a European and international reach\, and we believe that as Irish is our national language and a recognised language within the EU it is essential that the centre incorporates the Irish language as an integral and core part of the overall work.  The aim is to provide a community-orientated Irish language arts and human rights service to the Irish speaking community of Dublin and across Ireland\, Northern Ireland and internationally on a non-profit basis. \n\n\n\nIf you are an artist\, community group member or a member of the general public and are interested in using the Irish language through the arts to promote equality\, human rights and diversity\,  and would like to join the Arts and Human  Right network\, do get in touch. All welcome. \n\n\n\nAs a member\, you will \n\n\n\n\nReceive exclusive invitations to online and onsite networking events.\n\n\n\nMeet like-minded artists and people who believe in the power of the arts to promote human rights issues.\n\n\n\nReceive invitations to Smashing Times events across Ireland.\n\n\n\nBe contacted with opportunities to share your work or perform at Smashing Times events across Ireland.\n\n\n\nConnect through a monthly newsletter\, weekly bulletin; and through attendance at bi-monthly online or onsite meetings\n\n\n\n\nResource and Advice service available through Irish promoting the arts for equality\, human rights and diversity \n\n\n\nThis entails the translation of existing information into the Irish language and providing up-to-date information on resources\, grants and opportunities through Irish for artists and communities using the Irish language and creative processes to promote equality\, human rights and diversity for all. \n\n\n\nDream of Freedom / Aisling na Saoirse \n\n\n\nA Dream of Equality / Aisling an Chomhionannais \n\n\n\nIn Irish we say \n\n\n\nFáilte for Welcome \n\n\n\nAisling for Dream or Vision \n\n\n\nSaoirse for Freedom \n\n\n\nComhionannas for Equality \n\n\n\nCruthaitheach for Creative \n\n\n\nSuaimhneas for Peace \n\n\n\nAmhrán for Song \n\n\n\nCroí for heart \n\n\n\nGrá for Love \n\n\n\nMacnas for playfulness \n\n\n\nDraíocht for Magic \n\n\n\nAbhainn for River \n\n\n\nÓiche for night \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRob has enjoyed both national and international tours over the past 19 years of his acting career. He has most recently performed Tales from an Afterworld (WB Yeats)\, written by Féilim James and directed by Geraldine McAlinden in Áras an Uachtaráin for President Michael D Higgins. Some of his favourite theatre productions include The Shadow of a Gunman (The New Theatre\, directed by Ronan Wilmot)\, Pinter x 4 (Pearse Centre\, directed by Peter Reid)\, Scabs (Theatre Upstairs directed by Liam Halligan) In Arabia We’d all be Kings (Beckett Theatre\, directed by Liam Hallihan)\, Mary Stuart (The Grand Lodge\, Liam Halligan) and La Locandiera (Edinburgh Fringe festival\, directed Alice Coghlan). His screen work includes ‘A date for Mad Mary’\, ‘Vaudevillians’\, ‘The Comeback’\, ‘Twitchy’\, ‘The saviour of Dublin City’\, ‘Ctrl’\, ‘The Guarantee’\, ‘The Enchanted Island’\, ‘Two Margaritas and one Daiquiri’ amongst other independent films. Rob is also a seasoned theatre and screen workshop facilitator. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBláthnaid Daly is an actor and writer from Co.Westmeath. In 2021\, she graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting. She frequently works as a voiceover artist\, dubbing cartoons in the Irish language.Recent theatre credits include her own one woman\, bilingual English/Irishcomedy Connemarvellous\, (Scene + Heard)\, Heartstring (Scatterdream Theatre Company)\, An Triail (Fíbín)\, Fionn agus an Bradán Feasa (Fíbín)\, Prawn Cocktail (Colour & Ducks Theatre Company)\, In the Midst of Plenty (Enchanted Croí Theatre)\, Space Deli The Musical (Pay Attention! Collective) and Catastrophe Bay (National Youth Music Theatre)\, Ar Snámh (Smashing Times)\, Seachtopus (High Rock Productions) and Mountain River (Gerard Humphreys).Screen credits include Homofónia (Alana Daly Mulligan and Luke Murphy). \n\n\n\nIs aisteoir agus scríbhneoir  as Contae na hIarmhí í Bláthnaid Daly. Sa bhliain 2021\, chríochnaigh sí an cúrsa Lánaimseartha sa Gaiety School of Acting. Tá an suim aici obair trí Ghaeilge\, chomh maith le obair dátheangach\, a dhéanamh. \nOibríonn Bláthnaid go minic mar aisteoir gutha freisin\, ag dubáil cartúin i nGaeilge le Macalla Teoranta. \nSa bhliain 2021\, fuair sí Agility Award ón gComhairle Ealaíon chun a dráma aonair\, dátheangach Béarla/Gaeilge Connemarvellous a fhorbairt faoi mheantóireacht Clare Monnelly. Rinneadh an chéad léiriú i mí Feabhra 2022\, mar chuid den féile Scene and Heard\, faoi stiúir Gene Rooney. \nAr na saothair amharclainne a luaitear lena hainm tá Heartstring (Scatterdream Theatre Company)\, An Triail (Fíbín)\, Fionn agus an Bradán Feasa (Fíbín)\, Prawn Cocktail (Colour & Ducks Theatre Company)\, In the Midst of Plenty (Enchanted Croí Theatre) Space Deli The Musical (Pay Attention! Collective)\, Catastrophe Bay (National Youth Music Theatre)\, Ar Snámh (Smashing Times)\, Seachtopus (High Rock Productions) agus Mountain River (Gerard Humphreys). \nAr na saothair scannáin a luaitear lena hainm tá The Wake (Megan K. Fox Films) agus Homofónia (Alana Daly Mulligan and Luke Murphy) a bhuaigh ‘Best Irish Language Short Film’ ag an Fastnet Film Festival i 2024. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvanne Kilgallon is an Actor and Writer from the West of Ireland. Evanne plays Shelly in Chris O’Dowd’s highly anticipated ‘Small Town Big Story’ for Sky Tv and Now Tv\, released February 2025. Other screen credits include the lead role of Meabh in ‘Poitín’ (BlocTG4) and series regular Kate in ‘Obituary’ for RTÉ/Netflix/HULU. \n\n\n\nIs aisteoir agus scríbhneoir í Evanne Kilgallon ó chontae Shligigh. Le déanaí\, ghlac sí pairt Shelly sa sraith teilifíse Small Town\, Big Story (Sky Studios\, cruthaithe ag Chris O’Dowd). I measc na gcreidiúintí scáileáin eile tá Meabh i Poitín (BlocTG4) agus Kate sa sraith Obituary (RTÉ/Netflix/Hulu). Ar an stáitse tá seóanna éagsúla déanta aici\, mar shampla The Twenty Club (Bewley’s Theatre)\, Circle of Friends (The Gaiety Theatre)\, Talk To Me (Glass Mask Theatre)\, Bench Tales (Barnstorm Theatre Co) agus eile.Mar dhéantóir amharclainne\, scríobh agus léirigh Evanne a céad dráma AN LÁR (GlassMask Theatre)\, a fuair moladh ó na léirmheastóirí agus ón lucht féachana araon. Lean sí seo le seó-aon-mhná Jester’s Privilege\, a léiríodh ag Scene + Heard agus ar thuras geimhreadh. Le linn an tsamhraidh\, chuir sí a seó nua TECHNOPOETICA ar súil ag Electric Picnic agus bhí a céad dráma raidió Have Ye No Homes To Go To? cuartha ar ghearrliosta ar RTÉ Drama on One.D’fhreastail Evanne ar Ghaelscoil Cnoc na Ré i Shligigh agus thit sí i ngrá leis an Ghaeilge. Is minic a scrúdaíonn a cuid scríbhneoireachta feimineachas\, miotaseolaíocht na hÉireann\, dátheangachas\, agus úsáid greann dorcha chun ábhair dheacra a réiteach. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/seo-chugainn-na-mna-live-stage-performances-in-irish-of-the-woman-is-present-womens-stories-of-world-war-ii-translated-by-aine-ni-ghlinn-2/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Seo-Chugainn-na-Mna-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T130000
DTSTAMP:20251001T131122Z
CREATED:20250912T131833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T131122Z
UID:10000645-1760616000-1760619600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023).  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-15/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251016T110000
DTSTAMP:20251001T130950Z
CREATED:20250912T132308Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T130950Z
UID:10000646-1760608800-1760612400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nNo Booking Necessary \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \n\n\n\nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-16/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T203000
DTSTAMP:20251002T141523Z
CREATED:20250925T123155Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T141523Z
UID:10000679-1760554800-1760560200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Queen Dragon
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nDeirdre Murphy\, multidisciplinary artist \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nQueen Dragon lands you somewhere between performance and ceremony space. She will create a journey and cast a spell with every song\, different flavours of spells through the night\, as though you were in the theatre\, the witching camp\, the cave. The rave. Very gentle and very strong\, drink from her cup\, fierce and delicate\, simmering. Another way of feeling\, another way of being – tapped in\, witnessed\, personal\, psychedelic. Wild.  \n\n\n\nEvent image by Fabio Grassi. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\nPhoto by Fabio Grassi\n\n\n\n\n\nDeirdre Murphy is Queen Dragon\, creator of gig theatre\, creator of Capitalism: The Musical. Her work focuses an intensity of love\, of transformative change\, of the deep imagining through which all new ideas are manifested into life. Her vocally driven performances explore multiple soundscapes\, with complex lyrics\, rap\, spoken word\, and physical theatre integrating seamlessly to create a unique and electric individual style. \n\n\n\nRaised in Alaska\, Deirdre has been making work for theatre\, dance\, and music in Ireland for a number of years now. She released her first album Matriotism in 2024. Her seminal work of circus theatre\, Capitalism: The Musical\, performed to great success at the Electric Picnic 2025 and on Culture Night. She is currently in residency in Axis Ballymun as part of the Assemble program\, through which she is starting to record her extensive library of unreleased music and enjoying mentorship. She is delighted to be part of the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Festival. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/queen-dragon/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Queen-Dragon-Smashing-Times.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T130000
DTSTAMP:20251001T130756Z
CREATED:20250912T133013Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T130756Z
UID:10000647-1760529600-1760533200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \nShare your favourite Tree \nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \nThe Social Life of Trees \n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-17/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251015T110000
DTSTAMP:20251001T130614Z
CREATED:20250912T133403Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T130614Z
UID:10000648-1760522400-1760526000@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, live performances at The Pearse Museum\, Rathfarnham and the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Sandycove
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. Two indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography\, Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Arts Curator for the annual International Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh\, Actor \n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald\, Actor \nElizabeth Moynihan\, Director \n\n\n\nFreda Manweiler\, Company Manager and Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n“Incredible show\, wonderful performers” \n\n\n\n“An immersive experience that brought the history of Ireland alive”“Wonderful performers\, beautiful movement and storytelling” \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, is a live\, immersive\, multidisciplinary performance blending theatre\, poetry and movement\, to celebrate the beauty of trees and forests\, the importance of biodiversity\, and our connections to nature. It beautifully intertwines performance art with environmental themes and Celtic traditions. The Art of Trees invites us to walk in nature\, to leave behind a world filled with straight lines\, computer screens\, concrete blocks\, and clock time\, to explore why tree cover in Ireland has fallen so low\, and to reflect on the role trees play in our ecosystem. Audiences are invited to join us as we walk through history and nature and rediscover the magic of woodlands. \n\n\n\nFollowing an international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns to Dublin due to popular demand  for nine performances only. Seven outdoors performances take place at The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 from 15 to 18 October 2025 – on Wednesday 15 October 10am and 12pm; Thursday 16 October 10am and 12pm; Friday 17 October 10am and 12pm; and Saturday 18 October 1pm. The Meeting Point is outside the entrance to Pearse Museum Reception. \n\n\n\nTwo indoor performances take place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1 on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10. \n\n\n\nNature is in trouble. Ireland has declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency. As President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said if we were coal miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries. Despite our green image we need to do more. Ireland has lost many of its native woods. It is estimated that only eleven per cent of Ireland is currently under forest cover\, much lower than most European countries. Finland for example has over 70 percent forest cover while Spain has over 35 percent. How can we celebrate the life of woodlands and connect more with nature\, to support the planet that gives us life and sustains us? What can we do to stop the felling and destruction of trees? \n\n\n\nIn the performance\, Brigid of Kildare\, patron saint of Ireland has returned from the past. She invites us to join her in the forest and enter the world of trees.  Brigid takes us on a journey through the history of trees from the Ice Age to present times\, exploring how forests have changed over thousands of years. Listen to stories about the ancient\, sacred trees of Ireland such as oak\, ash\, birch\, hazel and hawthorn and explore the wonders of a Celtic tradition of trees and forests where magic can happen. \n\n\n\nThe show is a theatrically staged fusion of theatre\, poetry\, story\, dance and music and is a dazzling storytelling performance suitable for all ages that is fun\, magical and sparking\, exploring what can be done to save our sacred trees and ancient woods. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan is part of The Trees Project: Raising Environmental Awareness Through Performing Arts\, a project led by Dah Theatre\, Serbia and supported by Creative Europe. www.performtrees.eu \n  \n\n\n\nL to R: Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, and Carla Ryan in The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan\, in Athens\, Greece at the Fallen Trees Festival 2025\n\n\n\nThe Trees Project \n\n\n\nThe Trees project supported by Creative Europe is led by Dah Teatar\, Belgrade\, Serbia. The partners are Action Synergy SA\, Greece; Theatro Aeroploio – Ena Theatro Giapaidia\, Greece; Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Ireland; Grenland Friteater AS\, Norway; Centro de Arte Producciones Teatrales SL\, Spain; Protagon – Freunde Und Foerderer Freier Theateraktion\, Germany and Stichting Zid\, Netherlands. \n\n\n\nAs part of the Trees project\, Smashing Times and partners are using creative processes and the performing arts to connect with citizens through a multi-disciplinary approach\, raising awareness of the importance of nature in our world today with a focus on bio-diversity and our connections to trees\, seas\, skies\, mountains and land.  As part of the Trees project artists from Smashing Times attended a Euroeso Conference on the 22 April 2024 in Belgrade\, Serbia and a Trees conference and training programme in Belgrade Serbia  from 23-28 April\, 2024. Two outreach community workshops on trees and environmental sustainability were conducted by artist Carmen Ortiz Victorino with local community participants in Dublin\, Ireland. \n\n\n\nThe Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan was commissioned for The Trees project. The play creates an extraordinary atmosphere in nature’s setting as we reflect on the role of trees in our ecosystem\, the importance of nature in our lives today and themes of biodiversity\, climate preservation and climate change. Join us as we enjoy nature and explore how to be proactive in the face of climate change and making Europe climate friendly with a focus on biodiversity and the interconnectedness of the world around us. This project is open to all citizens\, communities and artists\, and to key stakeholders in the fields of theatre\, arts\, science\, environment\, education\, business and human rights.  \n\n\n\nIRISH AND EUROPEAN TOUR DATES: The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan enjoyed a successful run at The Pearse Museum\, St. Enda’s Park\, in October 2024\, as part of the annual Arts and Human Rights festival prior to bringing its powerful message to audiences across Europe as part of an international tour in 2025 to Athens\, Greece (July); Frankfurt\, Germany (August) and Saville\, Spain (October).  \n\n\n\nSmashing Times were delighted to perform The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan at the Fallen Trees festival in Veikou Park\, Athens\, Greece\, on 20 July 2025\, and at the Sommerwerft Festival at Weselerwerft\, Frankfurt\, Germany on 2 August 2025. Performers and artists on tour included Carmen Ortiz Victorino\, Fiona Bawn-Thompson\, Carla Ryan\, Martin Shannon\, Hina Khan and Ciara Hayes. The performances took place outdoors enabling unique connection between the audiences and the theme of the importance of nature and biodiversity. The audience reception at both performances was fantastic\, with full house at each performance. Audience members enjoyed taking part in our ‘living artwork’ which is a piece of interactive visual art created by visual artist Hina Khan.   A partial image of a tree has been drawn on a large piece of paper which lays on the ground beside the performance.  Audiences are invited to add to the art work at the end of each performance. In this way\, the image grows at every show\, with input from people across Europe and Ireland. The show will tour to Seville\, Spain on the 9 October 2025 as part of the TREES Creative Europe project. \n\n\n\nFollowing the international tour to Athens\, Greece; Frankfurt\, Germany and Saville\, Spain\, The Art of Trees by Mary Moynihan returns due to popular demand to The Pearse Museum and Saint Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5 for seven performances only from 15 to 18 October 2025 and to the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, Sandycove\, for two performances only on Saturday 18 October\, 7.30pm and Sunday 19 October\, 2pm. Tickets €15/10 \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum and St Enda’s Park was where Patrick Pearse lived and ran his innovative Irish-speaking school\, Scoil Éanna\, between 1910 to 1916. The Pearse Museum houses a fascinating exhibition on the life of Patrick and William Pearse who were both executed for their part in the 1916 Rising in Ireland. The museum showcases the historic house where Pearse\, his family and students once lived and worked. \n\n\n\nThe Pearse Museum is situated within St Enda’s Park which covers nearly twenty hectares of attractive parkland in Rathfarnham\, Dublin. The park contains a wild river called Whitechurch Stream which joins the Owendoher river which flows into the river Dodder\, as well as forested areas with an abundance of trees including oak and hawthorn and a series of enchanting eighteenth and nineteenth century follies. \n\n\n\nSt Enda’s Park is situated in Rathfarnham and is a designated National Historic Park run and maintained by the OPW. The park has many wonderful trees and they line the walls of the park and the avenues. One of the most common trees in the park is the Monterey Cypress which was planted along the avenues of the grounds. There are also Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech trees. Native Trees in the park include Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. Shrubs that are common in the park are Hawthorn which is important for birds nesting\, Holly and Laurel. \n\n\n\nShare your favourite Tree \n\n\n\nTell us about your favourite tree? Take a picture and send it in with ideally the name of the tree\, it’s location and a photograph. Even if you only have a photograph send it on and tell us what you enjoy about the tree.  Send it to admin@smashingtimes.ie \n\n\n\nThere are many famous trees in Ireland. We have hanging trees\, trees at holy wells\, trees associated with historic events and trees that are important to communities.  There is the ‘Hungry’ Tree at King’s Inns\, Dublin\, the tree appears to be eating or swallowing  a bench!  We have Lady Gregory’s famous ‘Autograph’ Tree at Coole Park in Galway. It is a copper beech signed by the writer W. B. Yeats and his brother the painter Jack\, and by writers such as George Bernard Shaw\, Sean O’Casey and other famous people. \n\n\n\nEnjoy the wide variety of wonderful trees at St Enda’s Park in Rathfarnham\, Dublin\,  including Monterey Cypress\, Horse chestnut\, Sycamore\, Willow\, Larch\, Pine trees and Beech and our native trees including Yew\, Oak\, Ash\, Birch and Alder. \n\n\n\nThe Social Life of Trees \n\n\n\n“A forest is much more than what you see\,” says ecologist Suzanne Simard. Her 30 years of research in Canadian forests have led to an astounding discovery — trees talk\, often and over vast distances. Watch Suzanne’s Tedex talk to learn more about the harmonious yet complicated social lives of trees and prepare to see the natural world with new eyes. \n \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnna Fitzgerald is a creative writer\, performer\, drama teacher and accountant! She attended the Audrey Meredith School of Drama and completed the Irish Board of Speech and Drama Grade Exams\, Associate and the Licentiate Teaching Diplomas. In 2023\, she founded ‘Drama at the Harold’ and ‘Drama at Glasthule’. She is a member of Shifting Stages\, a newly founded collective of mothers and theatre makers\, dedicated to supporting each other’s practices. The collective evolved from ‘Waking the Feminists’ (WTF) movement in 2015 where artists questioned the role of women in Theatre in Ireland and ‘Mother Artist Makers’ (MAM) a collective of mothers in Irish theatre who advocate for career supports for creative practitioners with caring responsibilities and to promote family friendly arts practices.  She is working on her Irish Goddess collection of stories since developing the concept for her professional diploma in Innovation\, Creativity and Leadership in UCD in 2019. She performed original pieces from the Goddess Series during Culture Night 2023 and 2025 in the DLR Mill Theatre and the Lab\, Dublin City Arts Offices\, Foley Street.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAoife Kavanagh is an actor based in Dublin and Kildare working throughout film and theatre. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 2025 which a First Class Honours Degree in Drama and Theatre. Her love for performance has developed over many years\, from starting speech and drama classes at six years old\, as well as training in ballet and various other forms of dance. Her performance credits include Better Out Than In Campaign (Belong To Youth Services\, 2025)\, Evoe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, CHAOS (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Pinstripe (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024)\, Until Death (Virgin Media\, 2022) and Hall of Healing (Kill Musical & Dramatic Society\, 2022). Aoife also has experience in stage management and costume design. Her costume credits include costume designer of No Exit (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, The Contest (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and assistant costume on Uncanny Valley (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). Her stage management credits include Sell By Date (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2025)\, Anna (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2024) and This Too Shall Pass (Samuel Beckett Theatre\, 2023). \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-art-of-trees-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-at-the-pearse-museum-rathfarnham-and-the-smashing-times-international-centre-for-the-arts-and-equality-sandycove-18/
LOCATION:St Enda’s Park\, Grange Road\, Rathfarnham\, Dublin 16\, D16 Y7Y5\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/The-Art-of-Trees-2.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251014T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251014T210000
DTSTAMP:20251002T141405Z
CREATED:20250912T114709Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T141405Z
UID:10000627-1760468400-1760475600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:25 Glasses of Wine and Not Only One - Women’s Voices from Europe. Two International Live Performances from Serbia and The Netherlands
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nEnjoy ‘25 GLASSES OF WINE’ a live lecture-performance  written and performed by Dijana Milošević from Dah Theatre\, Belgrade\, Serbia\, based on autobiographical texts in which Dijana discusses the trials and adventures of a theatre troupe working in the historical-political context of ‘a country which no longer exists.’ The theatre troupe itself reflects the history of Serbia \, as well as the global moment in which we live. This is followed by ‘Not Only One’ a stunning solo performance by Nivin Baranbo from ZID Theatre\, Amsterdam\, The Netherlands\, revealing a powerful\, personal journey of growing up and working as a journalist in Syria\, a country which she was forced to leave. “Not Only One” is about breaking taboos\, questioning women’s rights\, and making personal choices. Baranbo employs a colorful performance style that blends text\, dance\, and beautiful imagery in an act of solidarity with all women\, wherever they may be. \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nDijana Milošević\, Artistic Director\, Dah Theatre\, Belgrade\, Serbia \n\n\n\nNivin Baranbo\, actor\, Zid Theatre\, Amsterdam\, the Netherlands \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\n25 Glasses of Wine – Serbia\n\n\n\nThis lecture-performance was developed in the context of DAH Theater\, from Belgrade\, Serbia\,  beginning its fourth decade of action. Written and performed by director Dijana Milošević\, 25 Glasses of Wine is based on autobiographical texts in which she discusses the trials and adventures of a theater troupe working in the historical-political context of ‘a country which no longer exists.’ The existence and development of the theater troupe itself reflects the history of Serbia \, as well as the global moment in which we live. \n\n\n\n25 Glasses of Wine unites its audience with Dah Theatre director\, Dijana Milošević\, as she curates stories from her group’s 25 year history. Her memories range from the present\, back to a time when her society lacked the vocabulary to resist bigotry and nationalism. Dah’s theatre of the personal became political by confronting the official reorganisation of life according to narratives of fear and hatred. Their accomplishment is to create community around a vocabulary of lived resistance. Milošević’s shared experiences – embodied\, keenly observant\, and compassionate – emphasise humanity\, and illuminate the senselessness of the past and today. \n\n\n\nThe work explores issues faced by theatre makers in global contexts\, with particular focus on storytelling and narrative as a healing medium for past trauma. This lecture/performance aims to uncover and articulate how theatre and drama may be used as an instrument of social and political change and make connections between art workers and other actors in peacebuilding processes. \n\n\n\nThe performative lecture “25 glasses of wine” premiered at the DAH theater festival Being/Becoming\, 2nd July 2016 at Dah Theatre\, which was organized on the occasion of celebrating a quarter of a century of DAH Theatre. \n\n\n\nFestivals and guest appearances:   \n\n\n\nBitef festival\, Belgrade\, Serbia (2016); Essex University in the UK (2017); The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama\, London\, UK (2017); Infant festival\, Novi Sad\, Serbia (2018); Georgetown University in the USA (2018); Tbilisi\, Georgia (2018); Ipanema Theater in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil (2019)\, Vrnjačka Banja\, Serbia (2018 and 2023)\, House of Culture Gušterica\, Kosovo (2022); Festival Parobrod\, Belgrad\, Serbia (2022); Ex Theater festival Pančevo\, Serbia (2023); Explorez Festival in Amsterdam\, Nederland (2023); Sommerwerft Festival Frankfurt\, Germany (2023); Heraclion\, Grees (2024); many times in Belgrade in different venues… \n\n\n\nDah Theatre \n\n\n\nDijana Milošević  is Artistic Director and co-founder of DAH Theatre Research Centre for Cultural and Social Change. Dah Theatre is a professional arts and research organisation using contemporary theatre techniques to create engaging art and to initiate positive social change\, locally and globally. Dah Theatre host an annual  Arts and Human Rights festival  which takes place over four days in Belgrade Serbia each year. The theme for the 2025 festival was ‘Thinking Peace’ and the festival was described as opening doors to art that speak up\, move and connect.    The festival brought together creators from all over the world to promote and share common goals of  freedom\, dignity and human rights for all. Artist came from Serbia\, Israel\, Palestine\, Syria\, Russia\, the USA\, Brazil and many more countries.  The festival theme was how to think about peace in times of conflict. \n\n\n\nWebsite: http://en.dahteatarcentar.com/performances/25-glasses/ \n\n\n\nNot Only One – Syria and the Netherlands\n\n\n\nNot Only One’ – A stunning solo performance by Nivin Baranbo reveals a powerful personal journey!In her solo performance “Not Only One\,” Nivin Baranbo shares her poignant story of growing up as a girl\, constantly confronted with the expectations of her family and society. Her struggle with norms\, values\, and expectations constantly forces her to make her own choices. How do you make your own choices in an environment that has clear expectations of you? And what are the consequences?During the performance\, the audience is transported into Baranbo’s intimate world\, almost like a ‘guest’ in her own TV studio. This environment is no stranger to her\, given her background as a journalist in Syria\, a country from which she was forced to leave. “A flood of emotions and feelings came over me when I heard about the assassination of Mahsa Amini in Iran last year. In my native Syria\, in that patriarchal society\, I experienced similar problems\,” she says. \n\n\n\n“Not Only One” is about breaking taboos\, questioning women’s rights\, and making personal choices. Baranbo employs a colorful performance style that blends text\, dance\, and beautiful imagery. She takes the audience on a journey that is both personal and universal. This performance invites reflection and powerfully illuminates themes that resonate with many. She sees her performance as an act of solidarity with all women\, wherever they may be. \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDijana MiloševićDirector at the DAH Theater Research CenterProfessor at the Institute for Artistic Dance\, Belgrade \n\n\n\nDijana Milošević is an award-winning theater director\, writer and lecturer. She co-founded the DAH Theater Research Center in Belgrade\, and has been its lead director for over 25 years. Dijiana is a recipient of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award ‘s Special Recognition in 2022. Dijana has served as the artistic director of theater festivals\, the president of the Association of Independent Theaters\, the president of the board of BITEF Theater\, and a member of the board of directors of the national International Theater Institute (ITI). She has been involved with several peacebuilding initiatives and collaborates with feminist-activist groups. \n\n\n\nDAH Theater has performed nationally and internationally under Dijana’s directing. She has also directed plays by other theater companies around the world. She is a well-known lecturer\, who has taught at world-famous universities. She writes articles and essays about theater as well as society. She has won prestigious scholarships such as Fulbright and Arts Link. She is a professor at the Institute for Artistic Play in Belgrade. \n\n\n\n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNivin Baranbo \n\n\n\nJournalist and Artist \n\n\n\nSyria and the Netherlands \n\n\n\nNivin Baranbo was a journalist in Syria and worked as a producer\, news anchor\, and presenter at the national Arabesque radio station in Damascus until 2016. After arriving in the Netherlands\, she participated in the talent development program FATE #1 (2020-2022) at ZID Theater\, after which she appeared in various performances and films. Baranbo is currently one of the core artistic team member of ZID Theater. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/25-glasses-of-wine-and-not-only-one-womens-voices-from-europe/
LOCATION:Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality\, Visual Art Gallery and Centre for the Arts and Human Rights\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin A96V9P1\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin\, A96V9P1
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/25-Glasses-of-Wine.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Smashing Times":MAILTO:info@smashingtimes.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T200000
DTSTAMP:20250926T092430Z
CREATED:20250912T141032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T092430Z
UID:10000653-1760295600-1760299200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Imigrante da Silva Santos – live theatre performance presented by Revolutionary Stage
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nTickets €12.50 plus booking fee\, book here \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nCast: Balzacian Bacchi | Fernanda Lyden | Gaudiê Martins Otero | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nTheatre Forum Facilitation: Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nVoice Performance: André Severino  \n\n\n\nDirection supervision: Orla Devlin \n\n\n\nDirection assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nExecutive Production supervision: Orla Devlin | Johnathan Batista dos Santos  \n\n\n\nExecutive Production assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Karina dos Santos | Patricia Dias  \n\n\n\nProduction supervision: Orla Devlin  \n\n\n\nProduction assistance: Patrícia Dias  \n\n\n\nDramaturgy supervision: Em Ó Ceallaigh / Ball \n\n\n\nDramaturgy assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Orla Devlin \n\n\n\nMusic and Sound Design supervision: Johnathan Batista dos Santos  \n\n\n\nMusic and Sound Design assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nFeaturing musician: Gaudiê Martins Otero \n\n\n\nChoreography and Movement Design: Fernanda Lyden | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nSet design and Costume supervision: Kate Bauer \n\n\n\nSet design and Costume assistance: Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias \n\n\n\nLight design and operation: Renato Diniz \n\n\n\nPhoto and Video supervision: Patrique Machado \n\n\n\nPhoto and Video assistance: Helton Assunção \n\n\n\nCreative and Visual concept: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nGraphic design supervision: Lucas Sancho \n\n\n\nGraphic design assistance: Balzacian Bacchic  \n\n\n\nA collaborative work Sponsored by Create \n\n\n\nSupported by Smashing Times – The International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nThis new forum theatre play from Revolutionary Stage takes a look at the lived experiences of Brazilian migrants living in Dublin. Set during the backdrop of the Dublin riots\, this devised play takes on discrimination in health\, the workplace\, and society at large\, using forum theatre to change the narrative and build solidarity. This play is funded through the Artist in the Community Scheme Project Realisation Award from Create on behalf of the Arts Council. \n\n\n\nRevolutionary Stage is a theatre collective using Theatre of the Oppressed to interrogate immigrant rights\, the rise of the far right\, and systemic oppression. Harnessing the collective power of Forum Theatre\, their interactive play takes an incisive look at the ways anti-immigrant sentiments have grown in Ireland in both personal and public spheres.  It is presenting this play through the Artist in the Community Project Realisation Award funded by Create on behalf of the Arts Council. \n\n\n\nAugusto Boal\, Brazilian theatre practitioner\, activist and politician \n\n\n\nAugusto Boal (1931–2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner\, activist\, and politician who created the Theatre of the Oppressed\, a system of interactive\, participatory theatre designed to transform society and empower marginalized communities by changing passive spectators into active “spect-actors” who devise solutions to their own social problems. Influenced by Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed\,” Boal’s work at the Arena Theatre  in São Paulo led to his arrest and exile by the Brazilian military dictatorship in the 1970s\, after which he developed Forum Theatre\, Invisible Theatre\, Image Theatre and Legislative Theatre\,  among other techniques\, which spread globally to foster social change.  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/imigrante-da-silva-santos-live-theatre-performance-presented-by-revolutionary-stage-2/
LOCATION:Pearse Centre\, 27 Pearse Street\, Dublin\, D02 K037\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T160000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T170000
DTSTAMP:20250926T092454Z
CREATED:20250912T140628Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T092454Z
UID:10000652-1760284800-1760288400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Imigrante da Silva Santos – live theatre performance presented by Revolutionary Stage
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nTickets €12.50 plus booking fee\, book here \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nCast: Balzacian Bacchi | Fernanda Lyden | Gaudiê Martins Otero | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nTheatre Forum Facilitation: Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nVoice Performance: André Severino  \n\n\n\nDirection supervision: Orla Devlin \n\n\n\nDirection assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nExecutive Production supervision: Orla Devlin | Johnathan Batista dos Santos  \n\n\n\nExecutive Production assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Karina dos Santos | Patricia Dias  \n\n\n\nProduction supervision: Orla Devlin  \n\n\n\nProduction assistance: Patrícia Dias  \n\n\n\nDramaturgy supervision: Em Ó Ceallaigh / Ball \n\n\n\nDramaturgy assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Orla Devlin \n\n\n\nMusic and Sound Design supervision: Johnathan Batista dos Santos  \n\n\n\nMusic and Sound Design assistance: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nFeaturing musician: Gaudiê Martins Otero \n\n\n\nChoreography and Movement Design: Fernanda Lyden | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nSet design and Costume supervision: Kate Bauer \n\n\n\nSet design and Costume assistance: Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias \n\n\n\nLight design and operation: Renato Diniz \n\n\n\nPhoto and Video supervision: Patrique Machado \n\n\n\nPhoto and Video assistance: Helton Assunção \n\n\n\nCreative and Visual concept: Balzacian Bacchic | Fernanda Lyden | Karina dos Santos | Patrícia Dias | Rodrigo Risone \n\n\n\nGraphic design supervision: Lucas Sancho \n\n\n\nGraphic design assistance: Balzacian Bacchic  \n\n\n\nA collaborative work Sponsored by Create \n\n\n\nSupported by Smashing Times – The International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nThis new forum theatre play from Revolutionary Stage takes a look at the lived experiences of Brazilian migrants living in Dublin. Set during the backdrop of the Dublin riots\, this devised play takes on discrimination in health\, the workplace\, and society at large\, using forum theatre to change the narrative and build solidarity. This play is funded through the Artist in the Community Scheme Project Realisation Award from Create on behalf of the Arts Council. \n\n\n\nRevolutionary Stage is a theatre collective using Theatre of the Oppressed to interrogate immigrant rights\, the rise of the far right\, and systemic oppression. Harnessing the collective power of Forum Theatre\, their interactive play takes an incisive look at the ways anti-immigrant sentiments have grown in Ireland in both personal and public spheres.  It is presenting this play through the Artist in the Community Project Realisation Award funded by Create on behalf of the Arts Council. \n\n\n\nAugusto Boal\, Brazilian theatre practitioner\, activist and politician \n\n\n\nAugusto Boal (1931–2009) was a Brazilian theatre practitioner\, activist\, and politician who created the Theatre of the Oppressed\, a system of interactive\, participatory theatre designed to transform society and empower marginalized communities by changing passive spectators into active “spect-actors” who devise solutions to their own social problems. Influenced by Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed\,” Boal’s work at the Arena Theatre  in São Paulo led to his arrest and exile by the Brazilian military dictatorship in the 1970s\, after which he developed Forum Theatre\, Invisible Theatre\, Image Theatre and Legislative Theatre\,  among other techniques\, which spread globally to foster social change.  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/imigrante-da-silva-santos-live-theatre-performance-presented-by-revolutionary-stage/
LOCATION:Pearse Centre\, 27 Pearse Street\, Dublin\, D02 K037\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/banner_final-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251012T140000
DTSTAMP:20251002T122130Z
CREATED:20250912T153227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T122130Z
UID:10000667-1760274000-1760277600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan – Live performances
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe five human rights defenders whose stories feature in the performance are: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Seven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. \n\n\n\nOne indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n  \n  \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography.  Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality\, Artistic Curator\, Dublin International Arts and Human Rights festival. Writer and associate director for Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 \n\n\n\nLaura O’Leary\, International Events and Promotions Coordinator\, developer and coordinator of Memorial Monologues for Front Line Defenders\, Human Rights Curator\, Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nConor Fortune\, Head of Communications and Events\, Front Line Defenders \n\n\n\nJosephine Patane\, actor \n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey\, actor \n\n\n\nVanessa Ogida\, actor \n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino\, director \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders. \n\n\n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues – The Path of Memory Part IIby Mary MoynihanWorld Premiere \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan is a world premiere scripted from the words and stories of five brave and inspirational human rights defenders from around the world who were murdered because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. Presented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The memorial provides a physical space in the heart of Dublin city to recognise and commemorate the lives of the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. The performance honours: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nThree of these defenders — Daphne Caruana Galizia\, Rosemary Nelson\, and Marielle Franco — are remembered on plaques in the physical Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens\, designed by Grafton Architects. The memorial is an Ogham garden\, with five standing stones etched with ancient Irish Ogham script\, each representing a native Irish tree. The space is enclosed by a crafted metal screen\, on which are plaques\, bearing the words of the human rights defenders. The physical memorial provides a contemplative space to commemorate those silenced for their courage. The memorial was launched by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney\, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor and former Front Line Defenders Executive Director Andrew Anderson. \n\n\n\nThe Iveagh Gardens memorial connects directly to the International Human Rights Defenders Memorial (hrdmemorial.org)\, initiated by Ireland-based Front Line Defenders\, which documents over 300 killings of human rights defenders worldwide every year — preserving truth and striving for justice. These killings are bravely documented year after year by organisations across the world to preserve the truth and one day\, achieve justice. https://hrdmemorial.org/ \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Leading audiences through Dublin’s hidden garden\, the performance creates a moving encounter with memory\, loss\, resilience\, and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood for justice. \n\n\n\nSeven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. One indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens are located on Clonmel Street\, off Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. Access is by Clonmel Street\, Hatch Street\, and to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. Please note that there is no wheelchair access through the Concert Hall gate entrance. Iveagh Gardens was awarded a Green Flag 2022-2023 which is an international bench marking standard for parks and green spaces. Come and join us as we pay tribute to the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been silence and killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. \n\n\n\nHuman Rights Defenders listed at the Memorial Monument in Iveagh Gardens are: \n\n\n\nCao Shunli \n\n\n\nNatalya Estemirova \n\n\n\nAnna Politkovskaya \n\n\n\nMarielle Franco \n\n\n\nBety Cariňo \n\n\n\nRosemary Nelson \n\n\n\nBerta Caceres \n\n\n\nRazan al-Najjar \n\n\n\nXulhaz Mannan \n\n\n\nRaed Fares \n\n\n\nLasantha Wickrematunga \n\n\n\nPascal Kabungulu \n\n\n\nAbdul Karim Al-Khaiwani \n\n\n\nDaphne Caruana \n\n\n\nHistory of the Show: Memorial Monologues Part One and Part Two \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory (Part One) by Mary Moynihan was originally commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival in 2023.  Due to popular demand\, part one returned for the 2024 festival for three outdoor performances from 18-20 October\, daily at 1pm in the award-winning Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin city centre. There was one  indoor performance at the launch of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, D2\, D02 K037 on Friday 11 October\, 7.30pm.Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part One featured the stories of Lasantha Wickramatunga\, journalist\, Sri Lanka; Natalya Estemirova\, journalist and human rights defender\, Chechnya; Raed Fares\, journalist and activist\, Syria and Bety Cariño\, activist and women’s rights defender\, Mexico.  The performers were Josephine Patane\, actor; Daniel Mahon\, actor and Lisa McLoughlin-Gnemmi\, musician\, on violin. \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part Two was commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre and the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders to be presented in September 2025 for Culture Night and in October 2025 for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino is an interdisciplinary artist\, theatre-maker\, director\, actress\, playwriter and stage manager from Sevilla\, Spain. She studied drama in ESAD de Sevilla and screen acting in Laboratorio de Interpretation de Sevilla. Now she is a free lance facilitator for Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge. She has worked with different communities around Ireland doing drama workshops and directing different plays as King Lear\, Hamlet and The Heights. Moreover\, she has participated in a wide range of international projects as “Mouth Off” (Spain)\, “You mix it” (Sweden)\, “Mind your body” (Slovenia) \, “Transmission “ (Albania); treating social issues through different acting techniques. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosephine Patane is excited to be a part of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Originally from the United States\, she has performed in many New York and regional theatre productions there. Since moving\, Josephine has continued performing on stages throughout Europe as an actor and singer. Theatre credits include: The Little Mermaid (Vanessa) Fiddler on the Roof (Chava) The Shadow of a Gunman (Minnie Powell) Twinkle Tames a Dragon (Twinkle) and Richard II (Northumberland.) On screen\, Josephine can be seen in the film Happy Yummy Chicken\, or doing science experiments on BBC Bitesize. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey is a Dublin based actor\, who completed her training in TU Dublins’s Ba in Drama (Performance.) She recently worked on “Animal Farm: The Moosical 2” for the Scene and Heard festival earlier this year. She was also in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard and “Collaborators” by John Hodge\, which were both in the Boys School in Smock Alley. Along with acting Bronagh has recently been an Assistant Director for AfterMidnight’s “Rumours” by Neil Simons\, and a Stage Manager for “Rogue Theatre’s “RabbitHole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. She recently also started a Theatre Company along with a few of her pals called “Messers Theatre”. Bronagh is a performer who strives to always bring truth to every role\, find the humanity in the story being told\, be fun and playful and most importantly help the audience to feel something. She is really grateful to be involved in a production where she is getting the chance to do all the above and an opportunity to tell stories that are as important as this one. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVanessa Oghomwen Ogida is an actor with a passion for performance. She has appeared in a range of college and secondary-school productions\, with roles across drama and comedy. Her early work includes ensemble and lead parts in student theatre\, where she developed a love for character-driven storytelling and collaborative creation. While not professionally trained\, Vanessa continues to hone her craft through workshops and independent study\, with a particular interest in socially-engaged theatre. She is also a journalist\, entrepreneurial specialist\, and success coach\, and CEO of VOO Consulting.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/memorial-monologues-the-path-of-memory-part-2-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-9/
LOCATION:Iveagh Gardens Waterfall\, 2 Stable Ln\, Saint Kevin's\,\, Dublin 2\, D02 WV58
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Monologues-web434e2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251011T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20251002T122121Z
CREATED:20250912T152758Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T122121Z
UID:10000665-1760194800-1760198400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan – Live performances
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe five human rights defenders whose stories feature in the performance are: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Seven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. \n\n\n\nOne indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n  \n  \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography.  Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality\, Artistic Curator\, Dublin International Arts and Human Rights festival. Writer and associate director for Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 \n\n\n\nLaura O’Leary\, International Events and Promotions Coordinator\, developer and coordinator of Memorial Monologues for Front Line Defenders\, Human Rights Curator\, Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nConor Fortune\, Head of Communications and Events\, Front Line Defenders \n\n\n\nJosephine Patane\, actor \n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey\, actor \n\n\n\nVanessa Ogida\, actor \n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino\, director \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders. \n\n\n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues – The Path of Memory Part IIby Mary MoynihanWorld Premiere \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan is a world premiere scripted from the words and stories of five brave and inspirational human rights defenders from around the world who were murdered because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. Presented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The memorial provides a physical space in the heart of Dublin city to recognise and commemorate the lives of the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. The performance honours: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nThree of these defenders — Daphne Caruana Galizia\, Rosemary Nelson\, and Marielle Franco — are remembered on plaques in the physical Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens\, designed by Grafton Architects. The memorial is an Ogham garden\, with five standing stones etched with ancient Irish Ogham script\, each representing a native Irish tree. The space is enclosed by a crafted metal screen\, on which are plaques\, bearing the words of the human rights defenders. The physical memorial provides a contemplative space to commemorate those silenced for their courage. The memorial was launched by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney\, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor and former Front Line Defenders Executive Director Andrew Anderson. \n\n\n\nThe Iveagh Gardens memorial connects directly to the International Human Rights Defenders Memorial (hrdmemorial.org)\, initiated by Ireland-based Front Line Defenders\, which documents over 300 killings of human rights defenders worldwide every year — preserving truth and striving for justice. These killings are bravely documented year after year by organisations across the world to preserve the truth and one day\, achieve justice. https://hrdmemorial.org/ \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Leading audiences through Dublin’s hidden garden\, the performance creates a moving encounter with memory\, loss\, resilience\, and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood for justice. \n\n\n\nSeven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. One indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens are located on Clonmel Street\, off Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. Access is by Clonmel Street\, Hatch Street\, and to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. Please note that there is no wheelchair access through the Concert Hall gate entrance. Iveagh Gardens was awarded a Green Flag 2022-2023 which is an international bench marking standard for parks and green spaces. Come and join us as we pay tribute to the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been silence and killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. \n\n\n\nHuman Rights Defenders listed at the Memorial Monument in Iveagh Gardens are: \n\n\n\nCao Shunli \n\n\n\nNatalya Estemirova \n\n\n\nAnna Politkovskaya \n\n\n\nMarielle Franco \n\n\n\nBety Cariňo \n\n\n\nRosemary Nelson \n\n\n\nBerta Caceres \n\n\n\nRazan al-Najjar \n\n\n\nXulhaz Mannan \n\n\n\nRaed Fares \n\n\n\nLasantha Wickrematunga \n\n\n\nPascal Kabungulu \n\n\n\nAbdul Karim Al-Khaiwani \n\n\n\nDaphne Caruana \n\n\n\nHistory of the Show: Memorial Monologues Part One and Part Two \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory (Part One) by Mary Moynihan was originally commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival in 2023.  Due to popular demand\, part one returned for the 2024 festival for three outdoor performances from 18-20 October\, daily at 1pm in the award-winning Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin city centre. There was one  indoor performance at the launch of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, D2\, D02 K037 on Friday 11 October\, 7.30pm.Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part One featured the stories of Lasantha Wickramatunga\, journalist\, Sri Lanka; Natalya Estemirova\, journalist and human rights defender\, Chechnya; Raed Fares\, journalist and activist\, Syria and Bety Cariño\, activist and women’s rights defender\, Mexico.  The performers were Josephine Patane\, actor; Daniel Mahon\, actor and Lisa McLoughlin-Gnemmi\, musician\, on violin. \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part Two was commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre and the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders to be presented in September 2025 for Culture Night and in October 2025 for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino is an interdisciplinary artist\, theatre-maker\, director\, actress\, playwriter and stage manager from Sevilla\, Spain. She studied drama in ESAD de Sevilla and screen acting in Laboratorio de Interpretation de Sevilla. Now she is a free lance facilitator for Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge. She has worked with different communities around Ireland doing drama workshops and directing different plays as King Lear\, Hamlet and The Heights. Moreover\, she has participated in a wide range of international projects as “Mouth Off” (Spain)\, “You mix it” (Sweden)\, “Mind your body” (Slovenia) \, “Transmission “ (Albania); treating social issues through different acting techniques. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosephine Patane is excited to be a part of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Originally from the United States\, she has performed in many New York and regional theatre productions there. Since moving\, Josephine has continued performing on stages throughout Europe as an actor and singer. Theatre credits include: The Little Mermaid (Vanessa) Fiddler on the Roof (Chava) The Shadow of a Gunman (Minnie Powell) Twinkle Tames a Dragon (Twinkle) and Richard II (Northumberland.) On screen\, Josephine can be seen in the film Happy Yummy Chicken\, or doing science experiments on BBC Bitesize. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey is a Dublin based actor\, who completed her training in TU Dublins’s Ba in Drama (Performance.) She recently worked on “Animal Farm: The Moosical 2” for the Scene and Heard festival earlier this year. She was also in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard and “Collaborators” by John Hodge\, which were both in the Boys School in Smock Alley. Along with acting Bronagh has recently been an Assistant Director for AfterMidnight’s “Rumours” by Neil Simons\, and a Stage Manager for “Rogue Theatre’s “RabbitHole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. She recently also started a Theatre Company along with a few of her pals called “Messers Theatre”. Bronagh is a performer who strives to always bring truth to every role\, find the humanity in the story being told\, be fun and playful and most importantly help the audience to feel something. She is really grateful to be involved in a production where she is getting the chance to do all the above and an opportunity to tell stories that are as important as this one. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVanessa Oghomwen Ogida is an actor with a passion for performance. She has appeared in a range of college and secondary-school productions\, with roles across drama and comedy. Her early work includes ensemble and lead parts in student theatre\, where she developed a love for character-driven storytelling and collaborative creation. While not professionally trained\, Vanessa continues to hone her craft through workshops and independent study\, with a particular interest in socially-engaged theatre. She is also a journalist\, entrepreneurial specialist\, and success coach\, and CEO of VOO Consulting.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/memorial-monologues-the-path-of-memory-part-2-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-8/
LOCATION:Iveagh Gardens Waterfall\, 2 Stable Ln\, Saint Kevin's\,\, Dublin 2\, D02 WV58
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Monologues-web434e.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251011T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251011T140000
DTSTAMP:20250926T103113Z
CREATED:20250912T152219Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T103113Z
UID:10000664-1760187600-1760191200@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan – Live performances
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe five human rights defenders whose stories feature in the performance are: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Seven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. \n\n\n\nOne indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n  \n  \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography.  Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality\, Artistic Curator\, Dublin International Arts and Human Rights festival. Writer and associate director for Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 \n\n\n\nLaura O’Leary\, International Events and Promotions Coordinator\, developer and coordinator of Memorial Monologues for Front Line Defenders\, Human Rights Curator\, Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nConor Fortune\, Head of Communications and Events\, Front Line Defenders \n\n\n\nJosephine Patane\, actor \n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey\, actor \n\n\n\nVanessa Ogida\, actor \n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino\, director \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders. \n\n\n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues – The Path of Memory Part IIby Mary MoynihanWorld Premiere \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan is a world premiere scripted from the words and stories of five brave and inspirational human rights defenders from around the world who were murdered because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. Presented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The memorial provides a physical space in the heart of Dublin city to recognise and commemorate the lives of the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. The performance honours: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nThree of these defenders — Daphne Caruana Galizia\, Rosemary Nelson\, and Marielle Franco — are remembered on plaques in the physical Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens\, designed by Grafton Architects. The memorial is an Ogham garden\, with five standing stones etched with ancient Irish Ogham script\, each representing a native Irish tree. The space is enclosed by a crafted metal screen\, on which are plaques\, bearing the words of the human rights defenders. The physical memorial provides a contemplative space to commemorate those silenced for their courage. The memorial was launched by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney\, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor and former Front Line Defenders Executive Director Andrew Anderson. \n\n\n\nThe Iveagh Gardens memorial connects directly to the International Human Rights Defenders Memorial (hrdmemorial.org)\, initiated by Ireland-based Front Line Defenders\, which documents over 300 killings of human rights defenders worldwide every year — preserving truth and striving for justice. These killings are bravely documented year after year by organisations across the world to preserve the truth and one day\, achieve justice. https://hrdmemorial.org/ \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Leading audiences through Dublin’s hidden garden\, the performance creates a moving encounter with memory\, loss\, resilience\, and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood for justice. \n\n\n\nSeven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. One indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens are located on Clonmel Street\, off Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. Access is by Clonmel Street\, Hatch Street\, and to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. Please note that there is no wheelchair access through the Concert Hall gate entrance. Iveagh Gardens was awarded a Green Flag 2022-2023 which is an international bench marking standard for parks and green spaces. Come and join us as we pay tribute to the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been silence and killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. \n\n\n\nHuman Rights Defenders listed at the Memorial Monument in Iveagh Gardens are: \n\n\n\nCao Shunli \n\n\n\nNatalya Estemirova \n\n\n\nAnna Politkovskaya \n\n\n\nMarielle Franco \n\n\n\nBety Cariňo \n\n\n\nRosemary Nelson \n\n\n\nBerta Caceres \n\n\n\nRazan al-Najjar \n\n\n\nXulhaz Mannan \n\n\n\nRaed Fares \n\n\n\nLasantha Wickrematunga \n\n\n\nPascal Kabungulu \n\n\n\nAbdul Karim Al-Khaiwani \n\n\n\nDaphne Caruana \n\n\n\nHistory of the Show: Memorial Monologues Part One and Part Two \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory (Part One) by Mary Moynihan was originally commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival in 2023.  Due to popular demand\, part one returned for the 2024 festival for three outdoor performances from 18-20 October\, daily at 1pm in the award-winning Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin city centre. There was one  indoor performance at the launch of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, D2\, D02 K037 on Friday 11 October\, 7.30pm.Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part One featured the stories of Lasantha Wickramatunga\, journalist\, Sri Lanka; Natalya Estemirova\, journalist and human rights defender\, Chechnya; Raed Fares\, journalist and activist\, Syria and Bety Cariño\, activist and women’s rights defender\, Mexico.  The performers were Josephine Patane\, actor; Daniel Mahon\, actor and Lisa McLoughlin-Gnemmi\, musician\, on violin. \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part Two was commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre and the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders to be presented in September 2025 for Culture Night and in October 2025 for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino is an interdisciplinary artist\, theatre-maker\, director\, actress\, playwriter and stage manager from Sevilla\, Spain. She studied drama in ESAD de Sevilla and screen acting in Laboratorio de Interpretation de Sevilla. Now she is a free lance facilitator for Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge. She has worked with different communities around Ireland doing drama workshops and directing different plays as King Lear\, Hamlet and The Heights. Moreover\, she has participated in a wide range of international projects as “Mouth Off” (Spain)\, “You mix it” (Sweden)\, “Mind your body” (Slovenia) \, “Transmission “ (Albania); treating social issues through different acting techniques. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosephine Patane is excited to be a part of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Originally from the United States\, she has performed in many New York and regional theatre productions there. Since moving\, Josephine has continued performing on stages throughout Europe as an actor and singer. Theatre credits include: The Little Mermaid (Vanessa) Fiddler on the Roof (Chava) The Shadow of a Gunman (Minnie Powell) Twinkle Tames a Dragon (Twinkle) and Richard II (Northumberland.) On screen\, Josephine can be seen in the film Happy Yummy Chicken\, or doing science experiments on BBC Bitesize. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey is a Dublin based actor\, who completed her training in TU Dublins’s Ba in Drama (Performance.) She recently worked on “Animal Farm: The Moosical 2” for the Scene and Heard festival earlier this year. She was also in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard and “Collaborators” by John Hodge\, which were both in the Boys School in Smock Alley. Along with acting Bronagh has recently been an Assistant Director for AfterMidnight’s “Rumours” by Neil Simons\, and a Stage Manager for “Rogue Theatre’s “RabbitHole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. She recently also started a Theatre Company along with a few of her pals called “Messers Theatre”. Bronagh is a performer who strives to always bring truth to every role\, find the humanity in the story being told\, be fun and playful and most importantly help the audience to feel something. She is really grateful to be involved in a production where she is getting the chance to do all the above and an opportunity to tell stories that are as important as this one. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVanessa Oghomwen Ogida is the CEO of VOO Consulting. She is a journalist\, Entrepreneurial Specialist and Success Coach with expertise in Business Models and Vision Boards in achieving success\, as well as an actor.  \n\n\n\nHer educational qualifications are up to level 9 (Masters Degrees in Journalism & Media Communications and Entrepreneurship\, Innovation and Enterprise). Her main goal and purpose in life is to see people achieve success in their different goals\, visions\, hopes\, aspirations\, dreams and/or desires. She is logical and emotional in her dealings with clients; bearing in mind the SMART goals and empathy in her relationships. Her inter-personal skills are great. She is an advocate of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Her hope and dream for the world is to see a world of No Poverty\, Zero hunger and all other goals. A world where we respect and protect our planet.  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/memorial-monologues-the-path-of-memory-part-2-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-7/
LOCATION:Iveagh Gardens\, St Stephen's Green\, Dublin 2\, D02 HX65
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Monologues-web434e2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251010T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251010T150000
DTSTAMP:20251002T122058Z
CREATED:20250912T151715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251002T122058Z
UID:10000663-1760101200-1760108400@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan – Live performances
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\n \n\n\n\nThe five human rights defenders whose stories feature in the performance are: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Seven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. \n\n\n\nOne indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography.  Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality\, Artistic Curator\, Dublin International Arts and Human Rights festival. Writer and associate director for Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 \n\n\n\nLaura O’Leary\, International Events and Promotions Coordinator\, developer and coordinator of Memorial Monologues for Front Line Defenders\, Human Rights Curator\, Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nConor Fortune\, Head of Communications and Events\, Front Line Defenders \n\n\n\nJosephine Patane\, actor \n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey\, actor \n\n\n\nVanessa Ogida\, actor \n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino\, director \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders. \n  \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan is a world premiere scripted from the words and stories of five brave and inspirational human rights defenders from around the world who were murdered because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. Presented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The memorial provides a physical space in the heart of Dublin city to recognise and commemorate the lives of the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. The performance honours: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nThree of these defenders — Daphne Caruana Galizia\, Rosemary Nelson\, and Marielle Franco — are  remembered on plaques in the physical Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens\, designed by Grafton Architects. The memorial is an Ogham garden\, with five standing stones etched with ancient Irish Ogham script\, each representing a native Irish tree. The space is enclosed by a crafted metal screen\, on which are plaques\, bearing the words of the human rights defenders. The physical memorial provides a contemplative space to commemorate those silenced for their courage. The memorial was launched by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney\, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor and former Front Line Defenders Executive Director Andrew Anderson. \n\n\n\nDates and Times:            \n\n\n\nFriday 19 September\, 5pm\, Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin for Culture Night 2025 \n\n\n\nFriday 10 October\, 1pm\, Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin. \n\n\n\nFriday 10 October\, 7pm\, Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Sandycove\, Dublin A96V9P1 – As part of the launch of the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nSaturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin \n\n\n\nSunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin \n\n\n\nThe Iveagh Gardens memorial connects directly to the International Human Rights Defenders Memorial (hrdmemorial.org)\, initiated by Ireland-based Front Line Defenders\, which documents over 300 killings of human rights defenders worldwide every year — preserving truth and striving for justice. These  killings are bravely documented year after year by organisations across the world to preserve the truth and one day\, achieve justice. https://hrdmemorial.org/ \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Leading audiences through Dublin’s hidden garden\, the performance creates a moving encounter with memory\, loss\, resilience\, and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood for justice. \n\n\n\nSeven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm.   One indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens are located on Clonmel Street\, off Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. Access is by Clonmel Street\, Hatch Street\, and to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. Please note that there is no wheelchair access through the Concert Hall gate entrance.  Iveagh Gardens was awarded a Green Flag 2022-2023 which is an international bench marking standard for parks and green spaces. Come and join us as we pay tribute to the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been silence and killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others.  \n\n\n\nHuman Rights Defenders listed at the Memorial Monument in Iveagh Gardens are: \n\n\n\nCao Shunli \n\n\n\nNatalya Estemirova \n\n\n\nAnna Politkovskaya \n\n\n\nMarielle Franco \n\n\n\nBety Cariňo \n\n\n\nRosemary Nelson \n\n\n\nBerta Caceres \n\n\n\nRazan al-Najjar \n\n\n\nXulhaz Mannan \n\n\n\nRaed Fares \n\n\n\nLasantha Wickrematunga \n\n\n\nPascal Kabungulu \n\n\n\nAbdul Karim Al-Khaiwani \n\n\n\nDaphne Caruana \n\n\n\nHistory of the Show: Memorial Monologues Part One and Part Two \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory (Part One) by Mary Moynihan was originally commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival in 2023.  Due to popular demand\, part one returned for the 2024 festival for three outdoor performances from 18-20 October\, daily at 1pm in the award-winning Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin city centre. There was one  indoor performance at the launch of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, D2\, D02 K037 on Friday 11 October\, 7.30pm.Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part One featured the stories of Lasantha Wickramatunga\, journalist\, Sri Lanka; Natalya Estemirova\, journalist and human rights defender\, Chechnya; Raed Fares\, journalist and activist\, Syria and Bety Cariño\, activist and women’s rights defender\, Mexico.  The performers were Josephine Patane\, actor; Daniel Mahon\, actor and Lisa McLoughlin-Gnemmi\, musician\, on violin. \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part Two was commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre and the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders to be presented in September 2025 for Culture Night and in October 2025 for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino is an interdisciplinary artist\, theatre-maker\, director\, actress\, playwriter and stage manager from Sevilla\, Spain. She studied drama in ESAD de Sevilla and screen acting in Laboratorio de Interpretation de Sevilla. Now she is a free lance facilitator for Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge. She has worked with different communities around Ireland doing drama workshops and directing different plays as King Lear\, Hamlet and The Heights. Moreover\, she has participated in a wide range of international projects as “Mouth Off” (Spain)\, “You mix it” (Sweden)\, “Mind your body” (Slovenia) \, “Transmission “ (Albania); treating social issues through different acting techniques. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosephine Patane is excited to be a part of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Originally from the United States\, she has performed in many New York and regional theatre productions there. Since moving\, Josephine has continued performing on stages throughout Europe as an actor and singer. Theatre credits include: The Little Mermaid (Vanessa) Fiddler on the Roof (Chava) The Shadow of a Gunman (Minnie Powell) Twinkle Tames a Dragon (Twinkle) and Richard II (Northumberland.) On screen\, Josephine can be seen in the film Happy Yummy Chicken\, or doing science experiments on BBC Bitesize. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey is a Dublin based actor\, who completed her training in TU Dublins’s Ba in Drama (Performance.) She recently worked on “Animal Farm: The Moosical 2” for the Scene and Heard festival earlier this year. She was also in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard and “Collaborators” by John Hodge\, which were both in the Boys School in Smock Alley. Along with acting Bronagh has recently been an Assistant Director for AfterMidnight’s “Rumours” by Neil Simons\, and a Stage Manager for “Rogue Theatre’s “RabbitHole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. She recently also started a Theatre Company along with a few of her pals called “Messers Theatre”. Bronagh is a performer who strives to always bring truth to every role\, find the humanity in the story being told\, be fun and playful and most importantly help the audience to feel something. She is really grateful to be involved in a production where she is getting the chance to do all the above and an opportunity to tell stories that are as important as this one. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVanessa Oghomwen Ogida is an actor with a passion for performance. She has appeared in a range of college and secondary-school productions\, with roles across drama and comedy. Her early work includes ensemble and lead parts in student theatre\, where she developed a love for character-driven storytelling and collaborative creation. While not professionally trained\, Vanessa continues to hone her craft through workshops and independent study\, with a particular interest in socially-engaged theatre. She is also a journalist\, entrepreneurial specialist\, and success coach\, and CEO of VOO Consulting.  \n\n\n\n  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/memorial-monologues-the-path-of-memory-part-2-by-mary-moynihan-live-performances-6/
LOCATION:Iveagh Gardens Waterfall\, 2 Stable Ln\, Saint Kevin's\,\, Dublin 2\, D02 WV58
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Monologues-web434e.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251004T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251004T210000
DTSTAMP:20250926T105325Z
CREATED:20250912T141700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250926T105325Z
UID:10000654-1759608000-1759611600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Men in Motion - a trio of athletic and hilarious dance pieces presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\nTickets €18/€16\, book here \n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham\, choreographer \n\n\n\nJohn Scott\, choreographer and dancer \n\n\n\nBoris Charrion\, dancer \n\n\n\nVini Martins Araujo\, dancer \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMEN IN MOTION is an evening of three athletic and hilarious dance pieces\, earning rave reviews and standing ovations in the Abbey\, Edinburgh Fringe and New York\, presented by Irish Modern Dance Theatre. The central work is iconic American Choreographer\, Merce Cunningham’s stunning ‘Solo’ followed by firm favourite ACTIONS – a sweeping\, vigorous duet by French dance sensation\, Boris Charrion and acclaimed Brazilian dancer Vini Martins Araujo. John Scott’s Beckett-like Bowing Dance\, completes a programme brimming with energy and adventure. \n\n\n\nSolo – Merce Cunningham \n\n\n\n“Its lunging jumps and scurrying steps appear shockingly wild … highlight the lasting beauty of Cunningham’s movement language. …. always articulated in a crystal-clear vocabulary” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\nThe Bowing Dance \n\n\n\n“the work can feel like a brilliant piece of absurdist theater\, a meditation on identity\, an entry-level primer on choreographic composition or nothing very much at all. Perhaps it’s all those things at once\, which is to say\, art” \n\n\n\nRoslyn Sulcas\, New York Times \n\n\n\nActions \n\n\n\n“within the choreography Scott has managed to blend quick-fire immediacy with slow-burning intellect. ….. there is a satisfying completeness to the dance” \n\n\n\nMichael Seaver\, The Irish Times \n\n\n\n“vibrant and witty” \n\n\n\nDonald Hutera\, The Times\, London \n\n\n\n“Daring physical feats? Check. Competitiveness? Check. Underlying\, shrugged-off affection? Check…… vigorous\, sweeping\, canted\, giant-step\, high-kick movements that Scott’s choreography favors ……. It’s wonderfully enjoyable\, skillfully paced\, and full of small surprises….. In its own way\, Actions tells us much about affability under pressure\, diligence\, and a feistiness that doesn’t negate the men’s respect for each other” \n\n\n\nDeborah Jowitt\, The Village Voice\, New York \n\n\n\nIrish Modern Dance Theatre \n\n\n\nFounded in 1991 by dancer and choreographer John Scott\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre is one of the most original and responsive dance companies working in Ireland today. A Dublin-based ensemble\, Scott and international guest choreographers create distinctive dance works with diverse casts\, mixing virtuosic Irish and international dancers with African and Middle Eastern refugees and torture survivors. Our works include ‘Lear’\, ‘Inventions’\, Actions’ and ‘Fall and Recover’ – all recognised for their intelligence\, honesty and humanity. Our work crosses disciplines\, subverts expectations of dance and dancers and finds new ways to explore contemporary issues. Irish Modern Dance Theatre is Strategically funded by the Arts Council. \n  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohn Scott is a Dublin born choreographer\, performer\, founder and Artistic Director of Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, founder and Artistic Director of Dancer from the Dance Festival\, and a member of Aosdána. He studied and performed at Irish National College of Dance/Dublin City Ballet from 1982 to 1985 in works by Anton Dolin\, Anna Sokolow\, Pearl Gaden and Babil Gandara. \n\n\n\nHis choreographic works include Divine Madness\, Inventions\, Cloud Study\, Everything Now\, Lear\, Fall and Recover\, and Actions. His work has been presented at Dublin Dance Festival\, Galway International Arts Festival\, Kilkenny Arts Festival\, Dublin Fringe Festival and internationally at John F Kennedy Centre\, Washington DC\, New York Live Arts\, La MaMa\, Danspace Project at St Mark’s Church\, PS  122\, New York and Dance Base\, Edinburgh; Sounded Bodies Festival; Queer Zagreb\, Croatia; Les Hivernales\, Avignon; Tanzmesse Dusseldorf; and Forum Cultural Mundial\, Brazil. He danced in Oona Doherty’s Hard to be Soft\, Meredith Monk’s Quarry (Spoleto Festival) and for Yoshiko Chuma\, Sarah Rudner\, Anna Sokolow and Thomas Lehmen. He has collaborated with Pan Pan on Beckett’s QUAD. \n\n\n\nJohn was awarded African Refugee Network’s Culture Award for his work with Refugees and Survivors of Torture and is a subject of Sadlers Wells’ 52 Portraits by Jonathan Burrows\, Matteo Fargion and Hugo Glendinning. He has taught dance and choreography at the Irish World Academy\, University of Limerick; The Body in Performance\, Drama Department\, UCD; Drama Department NUIG; Drexel University\, Philadelphia; University of Colorado at Boulder\, USA and San Jose State University\, CA\, USA. He was a founding board member of Dublin Dance Festival and Dance Ireland. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMerce Cunningham (1919-2009) is widely considered to be one of the most important choreographers of all time. His approach to performance was ground breaking in its ideological simplicity and physical complexity: he applied the idea that “a thing is just that thing” to choreography\, embracing the notion that “if the dancer dances\, everything is there.” He also once said\, “Dance is most deeply concerned with each single instant as it comes along\, and its life and vigor and attraction lie in just that singleness. It is as accurate and impermanent as breathing.” \n\n\n\nBorn in Centralia\, Washington on April 16\, 1919\, Cunningham began dancing at a young age. At the Cornish School he first encountered the work of Martha Graham\, who would later invite him to join her company in New York; Cunningham had a six-year tenure as a soloist with the Martha Graham Dance Company. It was also at Cornish that Cunningham first met John Cage\, who would become the greatest influence on his practice\, his closest collaborator\, and his life partner until Cage’s death in 1992. The first show that included only Cunningham dances\, a series of six solos with music by Cage\, took place in 1944. Four years later\, Cunningham and Cage began a relationship with the famed experimental institution Black Mountain College\, where\, in 1952\, Cunningham\, along with Robert Rauschenberg\, David Tudor\, M.C. Richards\, and Charles Olson\, joined Cage in creating what is often considered the first “Happening.” Also at Black Mountain\, in 1953\, Cunningham first formed a dance company to explore his convention-breaking ideas. The Merce Cunningham Dance Company (originally called Merce Cunningham and Dance Company) would remain in continuous operation until 2011\, with Cunningham as Artistic Director until his death in 2009. In 1971\, Cunningham and his company became original tenants in Westbeth Artist Housing\, remaining in residence there\, along with his studio and school\, until the company’s dissolution. Over the course of his career\, Cunningham choreographed 190 dances and over 700 “Events.” \n\n\n\nCunningham once wrote\, “My work has always been in process. I do not think of each dance as an object\, rather a short stop on the way.” He has described four seminal events that led to large discoveries\, the first two of which came from his work with John Cage. Starting with their early collaborations in the 1940s\, Cage and Cunningham began to propose a number of radical innovations\, the first being the controversial idea that dance and music can occur in the same time and space but be created independently of one another. This separation gave Cunningham “a feeling of freedom for the dance\, not a dependence upon the note-by-note procedure.” A second leap for Cunningham and Cage was the use of chance operations\, a revolutionary form of decision-making in choreography (and\, in the case of Cage\, music) where Cunningham applied chance operations to determine elements of the choreography such as the continuity\, rhythm\, timing\, number of dancers\, and use of space. The use of chance operations led to new discoveries\, “presenting almost constantly situations in which the imagination is challenged.” \n\n\n\nCunningham’s lifelong passion for exploration and innovation made him a leader in applying new technologies to the arts. He credited his work in film in the 1970s as another key inflection point: tapping into the potentials provided by the mobility of the camera\, the ability to cut and thereby alter size and rhythm\, and the highlighting of specific body parts otherwise far less obvious given the distance of the viewer to the stage. In his 70s\, Cunningham continued to experiment\, using the computer software DanceForms to explore movement possibilities before setting them on dancers. He continued to find ways to integrate technology and dance: he explored motion-capture technology to create décor for Hand Drawn Spaces (1998)\, BIPED (1999)\, Loops (2000)\, and Fluid Canvas (2002). His interest in new media led to the creation of Mondays with Merce\, the webcast series that provides a behind-the-scenes look at Cunningham’s and his company’s teaching and rehearsal process. \n\n\n\nWith long-term collaborations with artists like Robert Rauschenberg (who contributed various design elements to over 20 of Cunningham’s dances—sometimes even creating his work onstage in “realtime” during the dance)\, Jasper Johns\, Charles Atlas\, and Elliot Caplan (rethinking the way choreography and dancing bodies could be captured on film)\, Cunningham’s sphere of influence extended deep into the visual arts world. In 2017\, the Walker Art Center retrospective Merce Cunningham: Common Time\, (also at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago)\, investigated the unique working methods\, profound relationships\, and influence of Cunningham\, featuring works from artists like Tacita Dean\, Morris Graves\, Robert Morris\, Bruce Nauman\, Isamu Noguchi\, Yoko Ono\, Nam June Paik\, Carolee Schneemann\, Frank Stella\, Stan VanDerBeek\, and Andy Warhol. \n\n\n\nAn active choreographer and mentor to the arts world until his death at the age of 90\, Cunningham earned some of the highest honors bestowed in the arts. Among his many awards are the National Medal of Arts (1990) and the MacArthur Fellowship (1985). He also received the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award in 2009\, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale in 2005\, the British Laurence Olivier Award in 1985\, and he was named Officier of the Legion d’Honneur in France in 2004. Cunningham’s life and artistic vision have been the subject of several books and numerous major exhibitions\, and his dances have been performed by groups including the Paris Opera Ballet\, New York City Ballet\, American Ballet Theatre\, White Oak Dance Project\, the Lyon Opera Ballet\, Ballett am Rhein\, and London’s Rambert\, to name a few. \n\n\n\nCunningham died in his New York City home on July 26\, 2009. Always forward-thinking\, he oversaw the development of a precedent-setting Legacy Plan prior to his death\, to guide his Company and ensure the preservation of his artistic legacy. Through the Merce Cunningham Trust\, his vision continues to live on\, regenerated time and time again through new bodies and minds. \n  \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/men-in-motion-a-trio-of-athletic-and-hilarious-dance-pieces-presented-by-irish-modern-dance-theatre/
LOCATION:Ballina Arts Centre\, Ballina\, Mayo\, F26 NW83
CATEGORIES:Dance,Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/avif:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/John-Scott-202525108-High-RES-by-Patricio-Cassinoni.avif
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250919T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250919T180000
DTSTAMP:20250916T142536Z
CREATED:20250728T231557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250916T142536Z
UID:10000561-1758301200-1758304800@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:Culture Night 2025 – Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part II
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nPresented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The five human rights defenders whose stories feature in the performance are: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Seven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. \n\n\n\nOne indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n  \n  \n\n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, writer\, poet\, creator of art and photography.  Artistic Director\, Smashing Times International Centre for Arts and Equality\, Artistic Curator\, Dublin International Arts and Human Rights festival. Writer and associate director for Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 \n\n\n\nLaura O’Leary\, International Events and Promotions Coordinator\, developer and coordinator of Memorial Monologues for Front Line Defenders\, Human Rights Curator\, Irish Arts and Human Rights festival \n\n\n\nConor Fortune\, Head of Communications and Events\, Front Line Defenders \n\n\n\nJosephine Patane\, actor \n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey\, actor \n\n\n\nVanessa Ogida\, actor \n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino\, director \n\n\n\nCiara Hayes\, Producer\, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders. \n \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues – The Path of Memory Part IIby Mary MoynihanWorld Premiere \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part 2 by Mary Moynihan is a world premiere scripted from the words and stories of five brave and inspirational human rights defenders from around the world who were murdered because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. Presented as a promenade\, ‘walk-in-the-park’ performance blending theatre\, poetry\, and song\, this unique show brings audiences through the Iveagh Gardens (Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green) to the Human Rights Defenders Memorial monument. The memorial provides a physical space in the heart of Dublin city to recognise and commemorate the lives of the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. The performance honours: \n\n\n\n• FannyAnn Eddy (1974-2004)\, LGBTIQ+ activist\, Sierra Leone• Daphne Caruana\, (1964-2017)\, journalist\, columnist and blogger\, Malta• Rosemary Nelson\, (1958-1999)\, human rights lawyer\, Northern Ireland• Marielle Franco (1979-2018)\, human rights activist and elected council woman\, Brazil• Teresa Magueyal (1958 – 2023)\, woman searcher of disappeared people and a human rights defender\, Mexico \n\n\n\nThree of these defenders — Daphne Caruana Galizia\, Rosemary Nelson\, and Marielle Franco — are remembered on plaques in the physical Memorial to Human Rights Defenders in the Iveagh Gardens\, designed by Grafton Architects. The memorial is an Ogham garden\, with five standing stones etched with ancient Irish Ogham script\, each representing a native Irish tree. The space is enclosed by a crafted metal screen\, on which are plaques\, bearing the words of the human rights defenders. The physical memorial provides a contemplative space to commemorate those silenced for their courage. The memorial was launched by Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney\, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders Mary Lawlor and former Front Line Defenders Executive Director Andrew Anderson. \n\n\n\nThe Iveagh Gardens memorial connects directly to the International Human Rights Defenders Memorial (hrdmemorial.org)\, initiated by Ireland-based Front Line Defenders\, which documents over 300 killings of human rights defenders worldwide every year — preserving truth and striving for justice. These killings are bravely documented year after year by organisations across the world to preserve the truth and one day\, achieve justice. https://hrdmemorial.org/ \n\n\n\nPresented by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality in partnership with Front Line Defenders\, this unique event is part of the Irish Arts and Human Rights Festival 2025. Leading audiences through Dublin’s hidden garden\, the performance creates a moving encounter with memory\, loss\, resilience\, and the unbreakable spirit of those who stood for justice. \n\n\n\nSeven performances take place with six outdoor performances at the Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin\, on Friday 19 September\, 5pm for Culture Night 2025; Friday 10 October\, 1pm; Saturday 11 October\, 1pm and 3pm\, and Sunday 12 October\, 1pm and 3pm. One indoor performance takes place at the Smashing Times Arts and Human Rights Centre\, 30 Sandycove Road\, Dublin\, A96V9P1 on Friday 10 October\, 7pm\, as part of the launch for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival 2025. \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens \n\n\n\nIveagh Gardens are located on Clonmel Street\, off Harcourt Street in Dublin 2. Access is by Clonmel Street\, Hatch Street\, and to the rear of the National Concert Hall on Earlsfort Terrace. Please note that there is no wheelchair access through the Concert Hall gate entrance. Iveagh Gardens was awarded a Green Flag 2022-2023 which is an international bench marking standard for parks and green spaces. Come and join us as we pay tribute to the many brave and inspirational human rights defenders around the world who have been silence and killed because of their peaceful work defending the rights of others. \n\n\n\nHuman Rights Defenders listed at the Memorial Monument in Iveagh Gardens are: \n\n\n\nCao Shunli \n\n\n\nNatalya Estemirova \n\n\n\nAnna Politkovskaya \n\n\n\nMarielle Franco \n\n\n\nBety Cariňo \n\n\n\nRosemary Nelson \n\n\n\nBerta Caceres \n\n\n\nRazan al-Najjar \n\n\n\nXulhaz Mannan \n\n\n\nRaed Fares \n\n\n\nLasantha Wickrematunga \n\n\n\nPascal Kabungulu \n\n\n\nAbdul Karim Al-Khaiwani \n\n\n\nDaphne Caruana \n\n\n\nHistory of the Show: Memorial Monologues Part One and Part Two \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory (Part One) by Mary Moynihan was originally commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders for the fifth annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival in 2023.  Due to popular demand\, part one returned for the 2024 festival for three outdoor performances from 18-20 October\, daily at 1pm in the award-winning Iveagh Gardens\, Dublin’s secret garden\, located close to St Stephen’s Green Park in Dublin city centre. There was one  indoor performance at the launch of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival in The Ireland Institute\, 27 Pearse Street\, D2\, D02 K037 on Friday 11 October\, 7.30pm.Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part One featured the stories of Lasantha Wickramatunga\, journalist\, Sri Lanka; Natalya Estemirova\, journalist and human rights defender\, Chechnya; Raed Fares\, journalist and activist\, Syria and Bety Cariño\, activist and women’s rights defender\, Mexico.  The performers were Josephine Patane\, actor; Daniel Mahon\, actor and Lisa McLoughlin-Gnemmi\, musician\, on violin. \n\n\n\nMemorial Monologues: The Path of Memory Part Two was commissioned by Smashing Times International Centre and the Arts and Equality and Front Line Defenders to be presented in September 2025 for Culture Night and in October 2025 for the annual international Irish Arts and Human Rights festival. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMary Moynihan MA \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films\, Plays \n\n\n\nCreator of Art and Photography \n\n\n\nCreative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Equality\, Leadership and Self-Esteem \n\n\n\nMary Moynihan\, MA\, she/her\, is an award-winning author of novels\, poetry\, films and plays\, and a creator of art and photography. Mary is from Dublin\, Ireland. Mary embarked upon her award-winning career as a writer in theatre and film and has garnered much acclaim for her plays\, poetry and short film scripts\, and for creating interdisciplinary artworks combining writing and photography presented in galleries and online. She established and became Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality and is Artistic Curator for the annual Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival. Mary has an honours BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin and an honours Masters in Film Production from TU Dublin. \n\n\n\nAfter raising four children\, now adults\, Mary dedicated her time to becoming a writer. She writes fiction for young people and adults featuring stories of courage\, laughter\, tragedy\, happiness\, love\, death and action-packed adventures. Mary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. In her adult fiction\, Mary’s characters are clever\, fearless\, vulnerable\, crazy\, strong\, and dangerous\, looking for love\, fun\, success and happiness. Her work promises enthralling plots\, dramatic lives\, lots of laughs\, serious flirting and sexual intrigue and insights into love\, happiness\, creativity and meaning in life. \n\n\n\nMary pens a series of articles titled Creative Reflections on Arts\, Creativity\, Leadership and Self-Esteem which appear in the Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality newsletter and on Mary’s website marymoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nIn her free time Mary loves to spend time with her four adult children and hang out with friends.  She swims in the sea all year round. She loves the ocean\, sky and moon and has a spiritual connection to the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea\, to the environs of Dublin bay and to the mystical landscapes of Valentia Island and the surrounding Iveragh peninsula in County Kerry\, her spiritual home. She is a big fan of the Dublin Gaelic football and hurling teams. \n\n\n\nSmashing Times \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Director of Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality working collaboratively with artists and over fifty organisations across Ireland\, Northern Ireland\, Europe and internationally\, using the arts to promote rights and values for all. Company patrons are Sabina Higgins; Joan Freeman\, founder of Pieta House; Ger Ryan\, actor and Tim Pat Coogan\, writer and historian. Founding patrons were writers Maeve Binchy and Brian Friel. \n\n\n\nMary is Artistic Curator for the annual\, international Dublin Arts and Human Rights festival implemented by Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders with Amnesty International\, Fighting Words\, ICCL\, NWCI\, Irish Modern Dance Theatre\, Trócaire\, Poetry Ireland and Irish Pen\, and funded by The Arts Council. The festival highlights the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world\, past and present\, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. \n\n\n\nAwards \n\n\n\nMary’s work has won a number of awards\, including the Allianz Business to Arts Special Judges DAA Arts Award at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre\, the international and prestigious #ArtsAgainstCovid award from the Arts in Health International Foundation and an Arts Council Agility Award. Mary was awarded a Project Award from The Arts Council to write a new work with a range of collaborators titled The Feeling Soul\, inspired by stories of women poets from ancient and modern Ireland.    \n\n\n\nWriter of Novels\, Poetry\, Films and Plays \n\n\n\nMary is the author of the epic spoken word poem  ‘Ode to a Coolock Queen’’\, written from a female perspective and exploring identity\, gender\, violence\, passion\, self-destruction and possible redemption. An attempt as Sylvia Plath says  ‘to be true to my own weirdnesses’. It is an oral storytelling narrative that is about a broader reflection on what it is to be born out of a working class environment.  This poem is in homage to all people from working-class communities who find their strength and become their own kings and queens like warriors from an ancient past. \n\n\n\nMary is the author of a young adult fantasy novel Amergin and the Warriors of Zen. As a playwright\, Mary’s work includes the highly acclaimed The Woman is Present: Women’s Stories of WWII co-written with Paul Kennedy\, Fiona Thompson and Féilim James; Memorial Monologues: The Path of Memory; Tales of Love and Loss featuring two monologues selected by President Michael D Higgins for performance at Áras an Uachtaráin\, Constance and Her Friends and Grace and Joe for performance in 2023; In One Breath from the award-winning Testimonies(co-written with Paul Kennedy); Shadow of My Soul and May Our Faces Haunt You. \n\n\n\nPlays for children and young people include Gathering on the Pond\, a comedy play on the environment by Mary Moynihan and Aoife Reilly;  Love the Earth by Mary Moynihan – A Change-Makers Storytelling session for ages 5 to 12 years adapted from three stories – The Water Princess\, The Hummingbird\, and The Salmon of Knowledge – from Goal’s Global Citizenship Education Resource; and Four Great Plays for Young Children\, a series of short plays suitable for performance by children ages 5 to 12 years – The Children of Lir\, The Three Bears\, The Princess Play and Legend of the Dragon Kings \n\n\n\nMary has a focus on using historical memory in her artistic practice as inspiration for the creation of original artworks. A number of her writings highlight stories of ordinary yet extraordinary women who stood up for the rights of others with a focus on the Holocaust\, WWII and the revolutionary period in Irish history. \n\n\n\nMary’s documentary film work includes The Shoah: A Survivor’s Memory – The World’s Legacy\, adapted from the writings of French woman Simone Veil (1927-2017)\, a French lawyer\, politician and feminist\, Holocaust survivor and first female President of the European Parliament; the creative documentary Women in an Equal Europe; the short film Letter to a Human Rights Defender based on words by Mary Lawlor\, a Human Rights Defender\, founder of Front Line Defenders and UN Ambassador on Human Rights Defenders; the hour-long documentary Stories from the Shadows reflecting on the arts in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland (co-directed with Mark Quinn);  You Matter\, a filmed interview with social justice campaigner Dil Wickremasinhge and the short documentary Acting for the Future on the role of the arts to promote positive mental health and well-being and suicide prevention for Travellers in Ireland. \n\n\n\nKeep in touch with Mary on: \n\n\n\nTel: + 00 353 (0) 87 7438722 \n\n\n\nEmail: marymoynihanarts@gmail.com \n\n\n\nWebsite: MaryMoynihan.ie \n\n\n\nFollow Mary on Facebook\, Instagram and LinkedIn \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarmen Ortiz Victorino is an interdisciplinary artist\, theatre-maker\, director\, actress\, playwriter and stage manager from Sevilla\, Spain. She studied drama in ESAD de Sevilla and screen acting in Laboratorio de Interpretation de Sevilla. Now she is a free lance facilitator for Crooked House Theatre in Newbridge. She has worked with different communities around Ireland doing drama workshops and directing different plays as King Lear\, Hamlet and The Heights. Moreover\, she has participated in a wide range of international projects as “Mouth Off” (Spain)\, “You mix it” (Sweden)\, “Mind your body” (Slovenia) \, “Transmission “ (Albania); treating social issues through different acting techniques. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosephine Patane is excited to be a part of the Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Originally from the United States\, she has performed in many New York and regional theatre productions there. Since moving\, Josephine has continued performing on stages throughout Europe as an actor and singer. Theatre credits include: The Little Mermaid (Vanessa) Fiddler on the Roof (Chava) The Shadow of a Gunman (Minnie Powell) Twinkle Tames a Dragon (Twinkle) and Richard II (Northumberland.) On screen\, Josephine can be seen in the film Happy Yummy Chicken\, or doing science experiments on BBC Bitesize. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVanessa Oghomwen Ogida is the CEO of VOO Consulting. She is a journalist\, Entrepreneurial Specialist and Success Coach with expertise in Business Models and Vision Boards in achieving success\, as well as an actor.  \n\n\n\nHer educational qualifications are up to level 9 (Masters Degrees in Journalism & Media Communications and Entrepreneurship\, Innovation and Enterprise). Her main goal and purpose in life is to see people achieve success in their different goals\, visions\, hopes\, aspirations\, dreams and/or desires. She is logical and emotional in her dealings with clients; bearing in mind the SMART goals and empathy in her relationships. Her inter-personal skills are great. She is an advocate of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Her hope and dream for the world is to see a world of No Poverty\, Zero hunger and all other goals. A world where we respect and protect our planet.  \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBronagh Donaghey is a Dublin based actor\, who completed her training in TU Dublins’s Ba in Drama (Performance.) She recently worked on “Animal Farm: The Moosical 2” for the Scene and Heard festival earlier this year. She was also in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” by Tom Stoppard and “Collaborators” by John Hodge\, which were both in the Boys School in Smock Alley. Along with acting Bronagh has recently been an Assistant Director for AfterMidnight’s “Rumours” by Neil Simons\, and a Stage Manager for “Rogue Theatre’s “RabbitHole” by David Lindsay-Abaire. She recently also started a Theatre Company along with a few of her pals called “Messers Theatre”. Bronagh is a performer who strives to always bring truth to every role\, find the humanity in the story being told\, be fun and playful and most importantly help the audience to feel something. She is really grateful to be involved in a production where she is getting the chance to do all the above and an opportunity to tell stories that are as important as this one. \n\n\n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/culture-night-2025-memorial-monologues-the-path-of-memory-part-ii/
LOCATION:Iveagh Gardens Waterfall\, 2 Stable Ln\, Saint Kevin's\,\, Dublin 2\, D02 WV58
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Memorial-Monologues-CN25-copyf.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241026T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241026T220000
DTSTAMP:20240904T144109Z
CREATED:20240830T144334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240904T144109Z
UID:10000448-1729972800-1729980000@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Sceptical Suffragette
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n€20/€17 concession\, book here \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists/Speakers: \nMembers of Splódar Theatre Company\, the resident drama company in the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton. \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nPower\, politics\, family feuding and violence all feature in this historical drama that tells the fascinating story of the activist life of Sylvia Pankhurst. A woman who fought for working class women to have an equal status in society\, and who supported the Irish struggle for independence much to the chagrin of her English family and friends. \n\n\n\nSylvia suffered cruel force-feeding in Holloway prison\, as well as sexual violence. Yet\, she became sceptical of the direction of her feminist sisters and found herself marginalised. Her verbal battles with her manic sister Christabel and her mother Emmeline are at times hilarious and at times filled with pathos. Audiences can expect to be gripped by the tension\, informed by the story and entertained by the comedy. \n  \n\n\n\nSplódar Theatre Company\n\n\n\nSplódar theatre Company (est. 1995) is the resident drama company in the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton. Our principal objective is the production of high quality drama in Irish and English. \nUnder the name ‘The Glens Players’ (Aisteoirí na nGleannta) plays by writers such as Brian Friel\, Frank McGuinness\, Tom Murphy\, Thornton Wilder\, Jean Anouilh\, John B Keane\, Vincent Woods\, Cathal O Searcaigh and Garrison Keillor have been staged by the company. \nThe company was given the name Splódar in 2007 to emphasise the Irish policy of the group. Irish language productions to date include Damhsa ag Lughnasa\, Sadhbh\, Antigone\, Salome\, Stiofan Og\, Ulysses\, Ag Clai na Muice Duibhe and Leannáin (Buaiteoirí) as well as a re-working of Glantacháin Earraigh by Máirtín Ó Cadhain. \nThe Dock\, Leitrim\nThe Dock is Leitrim’s flagship arts centre\, housed in a landmark\, riverside venue in Carrick-on-Shannon\, Ireland. The Dock presents an artistic programme that spans dance\, music\, theatre\, visual arts and more. The Dock host an arts education and outreach programme that provides people of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to engage in a meaningful way with artists and communities. \nBuilt in 1828 as a Courthouse\, The Dock is a significant heritage building which was restored by Leitrim County Council and reopened in 2005 as an award-winning arts centre. The venue has three galleries\, a performance space\, community meeting spaces\, and artists’ studios. We will continue to improve our facilities and to work towards the green transition of the building. \nThe Dock is a member of the Irish Museums Association\, the Performing Arts Forum\, the Public Participation Network\, Trans Europe Halles and Visual Artists Ireland. The Dock is the co-chair of the Cultural Transformation Movement\, an international alliance of multidisciplinary arts centres committed to diversity and inclusion in the arts and culture sector. \n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-sceptical-suffragette/2024-10-26/
LOCATION:The Dock\, Leitrim\, St. George’s Terrace Carrick-on-Shannon\, Leitrim\, N41T2X2\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Sceptical-Suffragette-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241025T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241025T220000
DTSTAMP:20240904T144109Z
CREATED:20240830T144334Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240904T144109Z
UID:10000447-1729886400-1729893600@smashingtimes.ie
SUMMARY:The Sceptical Suffragette
DESCRIPTION:Belonging: A Smashing Times Poetry Day Ireland Celebration\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBelonging Open Poetry Session\, Thursday 29 May 12am-2pm. Admission Free. All Welcome.  \n\n\nBook Your Place\n\n\n\n€20/€17 concession\, book here \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nArtists/Speakers: \nMembers of Splódar Theatre Company\, the resident drama company in the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton. \n\n\n\nFull Event Details\n\n\n\nPower\, politics\, family feuding and violence all feature in this historical drama that tells the fascinating story of the activist life of Sylvia Pankhurst. A woman who fought for working class women to have an equal status in society\, and who supported the Irish struggle for independence much to the chagrin of her English family and friends. \n\n\n\nSylvia suffered cruel force-feeding in Holloway prison\, as well as sexual violence. Yet\, she became sceptical of the direction of her feminist sisters and found herself marginalised. Her verbal battles with her manic sister Christabel and her mother Emmeline are at times hilarious and at times filled with pathos. Audiences can expect to be gripped by the tension\, informed by the story and entertained by the comedy. \n  \n\n\n\nSplódar Theatre Company\n\n\n\nSplódar theatre Company (est. 1995) is the resident drama company in the Glens Centre in Manorhamilton. Our principal objective is the production of high quality drama in Irish and English. \nUnder the name ‘The Glens Players’ (Aisteoirí na nGleannta) plays by writers such as Brian Friel\, Frank McGuinness\, Tom Murphy\, Thornton Wilder\, Jean Anouilh\, John B Keane\, Vincent Woods\, Cathal O Searcaigh and Garrison Keillor have been staged by the company. \nThe company was given the name Splódar in 2007 to emphasise the Irish policy of the group. Irish language productions to date include Damhsa ag Lughnasa\, Sadhbh\, Antigone\, Salome\, Stiofan Og\, Ulysses\, Ag Clai na Muice Duibhe and Leannáin (Buaiteoirí) as well as a re-working of Glantacháin Earraigh by Máirtín Ó Cadhain. \nThe Dock\, Leitrim\nThe Dock is Leitrim’s flagship arts centre\, housed in a landmark\, riverside venue in Carrick-on-Shannon\, Ireland. The Dock presents an artistic programme that spans dance\, music\, theatre\, visual arts and more. The Dock host an arts education and outreach programme that provides people of all ages and backgrounds with opportunities to engage in a meaningful way with artists and communities. \nBuilt in 1828 as a Courthouse\, The Dock is a significant heritage building which was restored by Leitrim County Council and reopened in 2005 as an award-winning arts centre. The venue has three galleries\, a performance space\, community meeting spaces\, and artists’ studios. We will continue to improve our facilities and to work towards the green transition of the building. \nThe Dock is a member of the Irish Museums Association\, the Performing Arts Forum\, the Public Participation Network\, Trans Europe Halles and Visual Artists Ireland. The Dock is the co-chair of the Cultural Transformation Movement\, an international alliance of multidisciplinary arts centres committed to diversity and inclusion in the arts and culture sector. \n\n\n\nOrganisations Involved / Partner Organisation(s):\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenue Information:
URL:https://smashingtimes.ie/event/the-sceptical-suffragette/2024-10-25/
LOCATION:The Dock\, Leitrim\, St. George’s Terrace Carrick-on-Shannon\, Leitrim\, N41T2X2\, Ireland
CATEGORIES:Performance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://smashingtimes.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/The-Sceptical-Suffragette-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR