Executive Artistic Director

Aislinn became Executive Artistic Director of Baboró International Arts Festival for Children in 2015. In this broad role she oversees all areas of the organisation, as well as curating the annual international festival in October each year, and developing supports to encourage Irish artists to create work for children. Aislinn spent several years working across programming, management and marketing in regional arts centres throughout Ireland. Aislinn's passion for performing arts for children was ignited back in 2001 when she worked with Baboró's festival team on the delivery of the festival. Aislinn is currently Chair of Theatre for Young Audiences Ireland, a voluntary organisation which supports artists and advocates for the performance arts for children sector in Ireland.

Executive Producer

A native of Co. Limerick, Jennifer first encountered Baboró when she helped out as a festival volunteer. She has worked with Baboró since 2012, first as Festival Administrator, then as Acting General Manager and was appointed Producer in 2016. Jennifer is a member of Baboró’s core team with responsibility for producing the festival, liaising with visiting companies and filling in endless funding application forms!

Marketing Executive

Thomas joined Baboro in 2019 to manage the marketing of the annual festival and communicate the year round work Baboró does to support and nurture educators and artists working with children. He is a Galway native who worked in the hospitality industry in the West of Ireland before taking up a marketing role with Irish product design agency, Design Partners, who he represented during Irish Design 2015. Thomas returned to Galway as a freelance marketer and copywriter working with technology enterprises, creative entrepreneurs and community organisations such as Architecture at the Edge, The Vault, The PorterShed and Galway Technology Centre.

Development Executive

Aisling has a passion for the importance of the creative arts and their accessibility to all children and young adults across every section of society. Inspired by the rugged, natural beauty of her home county Mayo, Aisling has had a life-long interest in the arts and knows first-hand of the positive impact that they can have on young people. After studying in both Waterford and Dublin, Aisling now holds a Master's degree in Business Studies and a Bachelor's degree in Business and Law. Having joined the team in June 2022, Aisling is very excited to be working closely with Baboró's philanthropic partners, and with their help hopes to make the arts accessible to every child.

Outreach Projects Manager

Bry joined in 2022 as Outreach Projects Manager, a new part time role in the Baboró team. She will develop, deliver, and manage Baboró’s arts in education and participatory projects.

Bry is a visual artist originally from Dublin and recently moved back to Ireland from the UK. She is an experienced freelance arts manager and facilitator who has worked with local authorities, arts centres and national institutions in the UK and Ireland. Most recently with the National Gallery of Ireland and Tottenham Hale International Studios in London.

Bry is passionate about community engagement; empowering children to tell their stories; the relationship between education and creativity and advocating for wider access and encouraging inclusive practices in the arts.

Artist & Programme Coordinator

Originally from New Mexico, Rachel joined Baboró in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, initially starting as an intern, then fulfilling the role of administrator, and finally becoming the organisation's first Artist & Programme Coordinator. In this role, she assists with both year-round and festival production and marketing, project management, and artist development supports. She holds an MA in Theatre Practice and Production from NUI Galway and works as an independent performer, deviser, and director in addition to her work with Baboró.

Digital Marketing & Schools Coordinator

Originally from Illinois, Kirsty moved to Galway in 2018 and began working with Baboró as Schools Box Office Liaison not long after that. In 2022, she was delighted to join the team in the new role of Digital Marketing & Schools Coordinator, working to bring Baboró to as many schools as possible in Galway city, county, and beyond. From the digital marketing side of things, Kirsty works closely with Tom to spread the word about Baboró’s year round mission and work.

Finance

As a freelance accountant, Sinéad is an important member of the Baboró team, where she works one day per week. Sinéad also assists a number of other well-known organisations across Galway city, including; the Galway Arts Centre, and McCambridges. She received her CPA in the USA, and now has over thirty years’ experience in finance and accounting, and is very familiar with the particular needs of arts organisations, having specialised in the area since 2001.

Appointed to the Board in 2017

Cian has been Artistic Director of Project Arts Centre since October 2011. Prior to this he was Producer/Artist Development with Rough Magic Theatre Company. Cian worked as a freelance producer working on a number of projects with Making Strange Theatre, Junk Ensemble, Brokentalkers, thisispopbaby, Project Arts Centre and Bedrock Productions. He is a former Alternative Miss Ireland (2011). Alongside his role on the board of Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, he is Deputy Chair of the Strategic Policy Committee of the National Campaign for the Arts, and is Chairperson of Dead Centre Theatre.

Appointed to the Board in 2019

Hilary lives in Galway. Her experience spans the fields of the Professional Arts and Design Craft. With a Bachelor of Commerce and degree in Fine Art, her career has included management, consultancy and facilitation posts with the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland as well as Local Enterprise Offices and other state organisations. She is an Art Curator and has also curated design craft, fine art and multi-disciplinary exhibitions for Galway International Arts Festival, NUI Galway, Ceramics Ireland and the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival. She is a member of the Tulca Festival of Visual Art Education Team and has volunteered in the past with Baboró International Arts Festival for Children, Galway 2020 and Galway Community Circus. More recently Hilary has worked as a professional artist, and is a member of Engage Art Studios Galway.

Appointed to the Board in 2018

Dermot is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland with over 30 years’ experience working at an executive level both in Ireland and internationally. He works with the local business community as the Chairperson of the Evaluation Committee of the Galway City & County Enterprise Board. He is currently the Head of the Strategic and Economic Committee of Galway Chamber. He is a member of judging panels for enterprise awards with the Local Enterprise Office. He has lectured to both undergraduate and postgraduate students in NUI, Galway in the areas of Financial Accounting and Auditing and is the current external examiner for the Masters in Accounting in NUI, Galway. Dermot has also been involved in charitable and local community organisations including his role as current President of Galway Hockey Club, committee member of Architecture at the Edge and has provided financial services to Breast Cancer Research.

Appointed to the Board in 2019

Cathal is an experienced human resource management and operations management professional. He is Human Resources Director at Choice Hotel Group. He has previously worked in similar senior management roles at Ability West, Shannon Group plc and as an officer in the Defence Forces, with whom he served on several overseas missions. He is a former lecturer and member of the Academic Council at Galway Business School. As a Chartered Member he is actively involved in the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the institute for HR professionals in Ireland, and was honoured to be selected as Chairperson of the CIPD Ireland Western Region 2017-2019. Cathal holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from NUI Galway and a Masters of Business Studies (Human Resource Management) from University of Limerick. He lives in Galway and has been a keen supporter of Baboró since his children were first introduced to the festival.

Appointed to the Board in 2019

Mary is the Entrepreneur Amplifier and Innovation Community Manager at Galway City Innovation District. Mary is a classic Irish-American who emigrated to the US for 13 years before returning to Galway in 2007. Her professional experience in the US and Ireland has provided Mary with the discipline of a corporate environment and the flexibility and vision of a start-up. Passionate about driving sales, eager to connect with purpose and always looking to pay it forward.

Appointed to the Board in 2019

Charlotte is a Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She has authored and edited multiple publications and her specialisms include contemporary Irish performance, interculturalism, migration, race, gender, sexuality and practice-as-research. She is a theatre and creative arts practitioner whose most recent work is through NUI Galway’s Active Consent Research programme. In 2019, she directed and produced the inaugural national third-level theatre tour of 'The Kinds of Sex You Might Have in College', an original play devised with over 30 current or former Drama and Theatre Studies studies featuring a company of professional alumni actors which has been seen by over 2500 third-level students and counting.

Appointed to the Board in 2020

Niamh has twenty year’s experience as a primary school teacher. She has spent most of her career teaching in Dublin and moved back to Galway in 2019. Niamh is a strong advocate for arts in education and has completed Baboró's CPD - Drama Tools in the Classroom. She was a member of the Teacher's Musical Society and performed in some amateur productions. In 2018 Niamh completed an Improvisational Drama course with the Gaiety School of Acting.

Appointed to the Board in 2023

Aleksandra is an arts manager and curator with over 16 years’ experience in arts organisations, festivals, community projects and arts publishing. As Acting Director and Programme Manager at Riverbank Arts Centre she developed a successful and ambitious programme of events with focus on children and young audiences, local and migrant communities and a strong outreach and education programme. Aleksandra is also an experienced arts educator and facilitator with as strong focus on youth theatre practice. She studied English Literature, Cultural Studies and Arts Management in Poland and Community Arts and Conflict Resolution in Ireland.