Dean Farrell
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I'm Dean and I'm from Dublin, Ireland. I graduated with a BA in French and Modern Irish and I have just finished a Master's degree in Modern Irish. My academic interest is mainly in literary criticism and in modern literature. I have a huge interest in Folklore, in both English and Irish and I enjoy collecting from my family and people I know, as well as listening to folklore collected by others. I love poetry, I write but I adore reading it. I play some music and I have basic proficiency on the tin whistle and on the bodhrán. |
Gormlaith Maynes
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Gormlaith Maynes comes from the town of Drogheda in Co. Louth, Ireland. She completed her Undergraduate Degree in Education in Dublin City University and has recently qualified with a Masters in Traditional Irish Music Performance from the University of Limerick.
Gormlaith has a vast experience in teaching the Irish language across a range of ages and abilities. She was elected Irish Officer on DCU's Student Union and received an award from Glór na nGael for her efforts in promoting the Irish language. Her weekly radio programme 'Spraoi Cois Life' was broadcast with Raidió na Life. With her love for the language and the arts, Gormlaith wrote, directed and produced a drama for her class through the medium of Irish, that took first prize at the National School Drama Competition. In addition, Gormlaith teaches annually on the Gaeltacht courses for third-level students in the Donegal Gaeltacht. Gormlaith currently lectures in Irish at the University of Prince Edward Island and is Coordinator of Celtic and Traditional Music at Holland College, P.E.I. |
Orla McCague
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Orla Nic Thaidhg is from Monaghan, Ireland and is this year's ICUF Irish Language Instructor at St Mary's University, Halifax. Orla has a B.A. in Irish and Music from NUI Maynooth, and a Masters in Education through the medium of Irish from NUI Galway. She has worked in secondary schools in Ireland and also taught Irish and music at the University of Montana (Missoula) through the Fulbright programme in 2017/2018. Orla has a passion for Irish traditional music, the fiddle being her main instrument.
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Elizabeth MacDonald
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Elizabeth lives to dance – and to share that passion with others. A professional dancer, she discovered traditional Irish dance in the late 80s, and has been building her knowledge and skills ever since, studying with dance masters in both Ireland and the US.
Elizabeth specializes in two older forms of Irish dance that, until recent years, were on the verge of extinction: the Irish set (or square) dances and sean-nos step from the Gaeltacht region of Connemara. She’s taught for many years in Halifax and has led workshops and ceilithe at festivals across Eastern Canada, northern France and Belgium. Most recently, Elizabeth taught at the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and the Nova Scotia Choir Federation’s Youth Choir Camp, and has been invited to teach next May in Leuven, Belgium. Elizabeth’s favourite kind of student? Adults who’ve never danced before – or never thought they could. With her patient, light-hearted teaching style, you’ll be stepping it out in no time. |
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Ted Leighton
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Ted Leighton is a local musician who plays the Irish penny whistle and the Uilleann pipes. He learned to play both instruments from a mixture of self-study and attending Irish music jam sessions. He organizes Celtic music sessions in the Annapolis-Digby counties area and is a member of two regional bands: Dulaman and GST.”
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