National Arts in Education Portal Day 2025
Parallel Session One: 11.55am – 12.45pm
Presentation and Discussion: Portal Documentation Award Recipient Series: The Circus
Room EQ 002
The Circus, a collaborative arts project at St. Mary’s Special School in Co. Meath, brings the circus theme to life through art, music, and sensory experiences, allowing students to participate actively and creatively. Led by Art Teacher Ina Olohan, Classroom Teacher Siobhan Doughty and Vocalist Deirdre Shannon, the project responds to the students’ needs and wishes, promoting their individuality, wellbeing and social development through the facilitation of play, music, art and social interaction.
Ina Olohan is currently the art teacher at St. Mary’s Special School, and a tutor at NCAD in the area of SEN. An experienced educator, she has specialised in Inclusion and Access, Guidance and Counselling and Curriculum Development. Ina holds a PhD from the University of New England in the area of Health and Wellbeing, and she brings this knowledge and experience with her to her professional roles.
Ina is also a visual artist in her own right working in the multidisciplinary space including, print, painting, collage and eco-dyeing. She participates in group and solo art exhibitions and her work is held in private collections in Ireland and overseas. In her school art programs Ina wishes to provide broad based creative opportunities to the students drawing from the visual arts, music and movement. This broad approach evokes an optimal level of active engagement, focus and enjoyment from the students, as demonstrated through the I Am Creative and BLAST programmes at St. Mary’s. It is an approach which is tactile, visual and colourful, in fact, multi-sensory; and offers a wide range of possibilities for the children to participate in their own ways.
Siobhan Doughty is currently teaching eight amazing and energetic learners, aged 13-14 in St Marys Special School. They are following the JCP L1LP. In order to promote success in learning the students require a high level of support to assist them to understand their environment and what is expected of them. Siobhan aims to offer a total communication approach within the classroom with clear instruction, modelling and extrinsic teaching. When it comes to arts and creativity, Siobhan provides a supportive environment that allows the children to lead and explore the material presented in their own unique ways. In this creative space she sees herself as a facilitator of learning through sensory play, music and fun interactive social exchanges.
Deirdre Shannon studied Performance and Classical Singing under the tuition of Professor Mary Brennan ARNCM, GRNCM in the College of Music, Dublin, Ireland. Musical diversification has naturally developed for Deirdre through her experience on the world stage in an array of shows over the years. She featured as a solo vocalist in Anúna 1996-1998, Celtic Woman 2005-2006, Lord of the Dance 1997-2012, Celtic Thunder 2010, Celtic Tenors 2002-2016). Honing her craft further, Deirdre has recorded several TV shows, music specials and two successful solo albums, Deirdre Shannon 2006 and Anamceol 2011.
Deirdre has a deep desire to share her knowledge of music and the industry, but it is her love of music, that makes her such a passionate participant in pedagogy. She has become a successful vocal teacher in her own right, and her school grows, year on year. Deirdre works as a mentor for Minding Creative Minds also, offering help in problem-solving in what can be a complicated industry.
Workshop and Discussion: Introduction to Meaning-Centred Education
Room EQ 211
Professor John Johnston, UNESCO Chair of issues-based arts education at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands. His work challenges the notion that art education’s primary function is to enable self-expression, which he describes as a capitalistic endeavour. In response he promotes an interdependent meaning making art pedagogy, where the self is found in the other and vice versa.
Originally from Belfast, Professor John Johnston’s work is dedicated to developing creative and activistic pedagogies that address issues of division and conflict. He is particularly interested in exposing how art, culture and education are weaponised to form single identities based on class, race and religious difference.
Creative Workshop: Louder Voices: Songwriting & Wellbeing Workshop
Room EQ 212
Award-winning Songwriter and Mental Health Advocate Luke Clerkin will facilitate a workshop using songwriting as a tool for self-expression, creativity, and connection. Each session begins with icebreakers to create a safe and supportive space, followed by group discussions around emotions and empathy. Participants then collaborate in small groups to write original lyrics inspired by these conversations, before coming together to perform their collective song. The workshops encourage confidence, teamwork and reflection, while providing a platform for all voices to be heard. They combine arts practice with personal development, making creativity accessible, engaging, and empowering for everyone involved.
Luke Clerkin is an award-winning songwriter and mental health advocate from Tallaght. Best known for combining creativity with lived experience, he has developed a strong reputation for delivering impactful mental health and songwriting workshops. Through his initiative Louder Voices, Luke has worked with schools, libraries, and community groups including Crosscare, The Irish Youth Music Awards, and Threshold Training Network. He has led residencies in Dublin primary schools through the Department of Education’s Teacher Artist Partnership and brought his talks and performances into corporate settings with ESB and Gas Networks Ireland. Luke inspires connection, resilience and creativity wherever he works.