Wellness Festival 2022
Topical Talks
Join us in the Library in Lisnavagh House for a series of enlightening talks, poetry, renditions and more from our guest speakers…
Join us in the Library in Lisnavagh House for a series of enlightening talks, poetry, renditions and more from our guest speakers…
Mairéad is author, illustrator and publisher of 'Ancient West Wicklow' colouring storybook. Her book invites you to explore local heritage in West Wicklow. Weaving National Monuments, historical artifacts, geographical features, the Celtic tree calendar and introducing the Tuatha Dé Danann; this ancient landscape is brought to life. This book walks you through West Wicklow, narrating in both Irish and English for you to explore. 'Go n'éirí an bóthar leat'- 'May the road rise to meet you'.
Mairéad is also a Mental Health Nurse in Co. Carlow and will briefly touch upon the value of orienting ourselves to our local communities. The ability to bridge 'disconnect' with curiosity and adventure, creating an awe & wonder inspired connection with the land. Also sharing her experience of the therapeutic value of nature in our lives and the reciprocal relationship that this inspires within us.
The West Wicklow Mountain range and hilltop topography is a defining feature with impressive views from Rathvilly. Mairéad will briefly discuss 'The Hilltop Capital; Baltinglass-Kilranelagh complex', as detailed in her book.
Moving on to her unpublished work, she will detail the web of monuments in Co. Carlow, most of which are still present today. With visual and oral accounts, you will be guided to explore the heritage and folklore of the land.
Co. Carlow is bursting with heritage and lore from Neolithic/Bronze Age times. Come along to hear how the River Barrow got its name according to ancient lore, Kingship of Carlow, the 'Bíle' tree of Carlow, the ancient heritage of Rathvilly and so much more!
You can also pick up a copy of Mairéad's book 'Ancient West Wicklow' or a historically illustrated map of Co. Carlow on the day. All proceeds will further Mairéad's work to share the heritage and story of the land.
Siobhán de Paor is a brilliant bilingual bard. Her one-woman shows are a powerful mix of spoken word, drama and improvised comedy. She can travel from deadly serious to gloriously glib in one energetic motion. Her background as dramaturg and a ritual maker are evident in this holy show. Her recent work centres on the unspoken experiences of motherhood.
There will be implications, accusations, invocations and possibly transmutations.
At Hidden Hearth she will perform a one-woman spoken word show tracking her own evolutionary journey from maiden to mother.
In her cultural function Siobhán is co-founder of Wild Irish Retreat; an initiative to revive the usage of the Irish language using the tools of play, poetry, foraging and ritual in a natural setting. Wild Irish is cultural re-wilding and works on the premise that Irish as a language of the land is more effectively reclaimed in an natural setting in activities that cultivate our instinctual selves.
'I'm an artist, a hooligan, a seer with a sneer, a sage in a rage; the original queer.''
Pharmacist and Mum-of-three Laura Dowling (a.k.a. Fabulous Pharmacist) is passionate about sharing her knowledge of all things health-related in an accessible, relatable manner via her Instagram channel. Her primary audience is females across a wide age range who tune in to hear Laura’s thoughts on medicine, illness, natural therapies, nutrition, supplements, exercise, yoga and cooking amongst other things. With a degree from Trinity and almost 20 years’ experience under her belt, Laura aims to give her followers the tools to live a balanced, healthy lifestyle without resorting to short-term crazes or fads.
Whether talking about skin concerns, constipation, female incontinence or mental health, Laura aims to educate her followers and shine a light on topics that people can often shy away from. In addition to her social media presence, Laura is a frequent contributor to Irish media and can be regularly seen on TV and in print as well as heard on radio.
The McClintock Bunburys descend from Baron de St. Pierre, a Norman knight who served with William the Conqueror at the battle of Hastings in 1066. Part of the Bunbury family left Cheshire in the 1660s and settled in Co Carlow as tenants of the Duke of Ormonde until they purchased Lisnavagh in 1702.
They became an important part of the ruling elite in Ireland during the late 17th century and, by 1860, the estate at Lisnavagh had evolved into one of the most advanced and efficient farms in the country. In 1879, Thomas McClintock Bunbury of Lisnavagh succeeded his uncle to become Lord Rathdonnell.
His great-grandson Benjamin, the present Lord Rathdonnell, succeeded to Lisnavagh in 1959. Unlike many modernised historic homes, Lisnavagh House still retains all the original character and charm, allowing you to go back in time to the 19th Century.
Let William take you through the ages of the McClintock Bunbury family and Lisnavagh up to the present day and Sarah tell you the exciting plans for The FarmYard Lisnavagh.
Feed your mind with expert knowledge of Suzanna & Stuart in the Library on Saturday at Hidden Hearth...
About Suzanna Crampton
Suzanna Crampton is farm, writer and blanket designer who is a practitioner and advocates for regenerative farming and conservation on her family’s small Irish farm.
She works actively to restore health and fertility to our farm’s soils. To invigorate a natural carbon and nutrient cycle for plants and animals both domestic and wild. Her annual wool crop, sequestered carbon, is spun and woven locally to produce products like yarn and blankets that are sold and ship worldwide.
She continuously nurtures her family’s farm always mindful of nature by constantly improving on biodiversity and habitat while also producing food and fibre.
Ciara Sherlock, Eilís & Mikael Galvez in a panel discussion about How Mushrooms can Save the World
Ciara Sherlock - Nourishing Touch - Blurb to come this is bio for now
Ciara is a retreat facilitator, bodyworker, Shamanic counsellor and birth doula. She is dedicated to holistic wellbeing and works with people in a way that allows them to move through challenges and rites of passage with integrity, curiosity and empowerment. The tools she's uses when working with people include plant medicine, body based therapies, nature connection and ritual. She finds herself in various spaces: teaching people about foraging, holding touch workshops, working 1:1 giving massage therapy, holding retreats, facilitating women's circles or holding space for births. This dynamic work is all connected at the core: creating spaces in which people feel safe to go deep into the inner realms and heal.
Turtle Bunbury has been variously described as ‘one of Ireland’s most prolific historians’ and ‘one of the most versatile authors of his generation.’ As well as over twenty published books, he is an active podcaster and a frequent figure on Irish television and radio.
Turtle will be speaking about his Vanishing Ireland books in the Lisnavagh Library at Hidden Hearth on Sunday.
Cathy Davey and Tarah Daly “Why Pigs Continue To Amaze Us”
MLPR manager (Cathy Davey) and care supervisor (Tarah Daly) tell tales from the frontline of pig rescue.
Cathy Davey is a co founder of My lovely horse animal rescue and Manager of my lovely pig rescue, the only pig rescue in Ireland.
The pig rescue farm is home to 125 rescued pigs, with breeds and sizes ranging from small pot belly's to 400kg commercially bred pigs.
MlPR also works with owners providing behaviour and handling training to improve the lives of these often misunderstood and highly sensitive animals, problem solving behavioural issues and ultimately improving their quality of life.
Lorraine Demetriou is a Holistic Health specialist for those lost in the symptoms of their digestive discomfort & illness, looking to up-level their cooking skills while navigating their symptoms and support their mental health & whole-body wellbeing through mind-body techniques.
Lorraine teaches evidence-based tools & techniques inside the kitchen, on the yoga mat & in life to help clients take a step-by-step approach to their digestive health.
Teaching her clients how to adapt their lifestyle without compromising flavour, how to tap into the essential self-regulating & healing side of their nervous system so they can heal on all levels. She is a passionate advocate for shifting out of the “diet” culture and helping her clients to develop a nourishing repertoire that calms, soothes & heals on a cellular level. She takes a holistic approach to mental health understanding the vital gut-brain connection and it’s essential role in digestive symptom flare-up.
Oscar Wilde and Brendan Behan, two Irish cultural giants, were very different men but had much in common. Both died young, both spent time in British prisons and both conquered England and America with their literary genius, sparkling wit and rich personalities. Although from different social backgrounds they were equally at home in the great houses of Ireland. Brendan was a regular guest of the Guinness family at Luggala and In ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ Oscar called a character ‘Bunbury’ which is the family name of the Lisnavagh Rathdonnels.
This bespoke show is a mixture of song, performance and storytelling. It informs and amuses with hilarious and poignant excerpts from the best of Brendan’s and Oscar’s writings. And at just under half an hour, it is a perfect after dinner celebration of Irish humour and charm.
Philip Judge is one of Ireland’s leading actors and also an esteemed author. He has toured the states with the Abbey – Ireland’s national theatre – and he has regularly played on all the other major Dublin stages in a wide variety of new and classic plays. These naturally include most of Oscar Wilde’s works at the Abbey, the Gate and the Lyric as well as Brendan Behan’s ‘The Borstal Boy’ at the Gaiety. His other work on stage in London and New York, and in film and television is distinguished and various. His full C.V. is available at www.firstcallmanagement.ie
Philip’s book In Sight of Yellow Mountain is published by Gill and he will be reading an exert from this book also. Philip is a regular columnist for the Irish Times
Dr. Karen Ward interviewed by Tom Sykes, Writer & Journalist
In Secrets of Ageless Ageing Her book (Currently No. 3 Non-Fiction Irish Best Seller), Karen Ward takes her reader by the hand on a voyage of self-discovery and a celebration of middle age and beyond. Rather than be daunted by this experience, she gives sound practical advice and a common-sense approach to the inevitability that is growing older. Karen’s wise and witty touch is both humorous with a profundity which touches at truths that lie deep within our souls.
Secrets of Ageless Ageing touches on a range of topics from mid-life opportunity, mental adjustment, physicality to addressing society’s view of ageing and discovering new ways of being. These topics and more are viewed through a holistic lens offering useful advice in a conversational style.
Dr Karen Ward, Holistic Therapist on RTÉ’s Health Squad and BBC’s Last Resort, is a practising counselling psychotherapist. Her previous publications, include The Health Squad guide to Health (Onstream Publishing, 2007); Change a Little to Change a Lot (Merlin Publishing, 2009), author and co-editor, Soul Seers an Irish Anthology of Irish Celtic Shamanism (Acrobat, 2019) and author and co-producer of the annual Moon Mná Diary- Journal.
Pam will be in conversation with Lorraine Demetriou, Thrive with Lorraine and Laura Dowling, from FabU Wellness on Sunday in the Lisnavagh Library
About Pam Butler
Pam co-founded Astraea in 1999, a pioneering social enterprise promoting big picture thinking and system change.
Dedicated to providing simple tools for positive change for everyone, she co-created the Breathe-Think-Flow model, a flexible framework for personal evolution. She has introduced yoga to hundreds of people over two decades of teaching, specialising in the distinctive Shadow yoga style.
Pam and Tom manage a smallholding organically, have raised four children in a vegetarian home, produced two books discussing global systems and a way forward, and produce big picture conversations on how to lead a flourishing life.
She recently debuted an original installation, Feast upon the Earth, at IMMA, one of the most visited exhibits at the 2023 Earth Rising festival.
events@lisnavagh.com+353 59 9161473Lisnavagh, Rathvilly,
Co. Carlow, Ireland