National Arts in Education Portal Day 2025
Parallel Session Three: 2.30pm – 3.20pm

Presentation and Discussion: Free As A Bird: Creating Performances for Pupils With Complex Needs With Their Voices At The Centre of The Process

Room EQ 211

Neurodivergent Performing Artist Facilitator April Bracken and Dance Artist Brona Jackson will discuss their creative residency in St Michael’s House Special School, Ballymun which explored making performances inclusive. The artists brought creative offers to the young people in their classrooms based on the theme of birds. As the project progressed, the artists continuously reflected on the young people’s responses and consolidated these offers to create a mini, multi-sensory performance-in-progress. The presentation offers both educators and artists an insight into creating artistic experiences for pupils with complex needs, where the young people themselves are central to the process.

April Bracken is a neurodivergent performing artist-facilitator with a masters in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (IADT 2024). April is passionate about creating inclusive, accessible artistic experiences for young people. In 2024, April was awarded the Arts Council’s Children and Young People’s Arts bursary, during which she explored how to create performances for young audiences with complex needs. April is also a recipient of Baboró’s Breaking Ground bursary for artists creating work for children with additional needs (2023-2024). April has designed and delivered creative programmes in preschools, primary schools, secondary schools, youth groups and LGBTQ+ groups, sparking connection and joy through drama.

Dance artist Brona Jackson has 15 years’ experience as a performer, choreographer and facilitator across a range of community, theatre and education settings. She holds a first-class honours degree in Contemporary Dance and was a member of Ireland’s postgraduate performance programme – Step UP. Brona has collaborated with Replay Theatre Company (Belfast) creating groundbreaking theatre for young disabled audiences since 2013, include ‘Yes Sir! I Can Boogie’, ‘Snoozle and the Lullabugs’, ‘Even Closer’ and ‘Thaw’. She was the inaugural artist on Replays new Artist Development Fellowship where she created ‘Wild Ones’, which toured SEN schools across Northern Ireland (2022-23).

Presentation and Discussion: Portal Documentation Award Recipient Series: Little Woodland Heights

Room EQ 002

Soprano Tríona Walsh and Teacher Nuala Dooly will share insights into their experience with ‘Little Woodland Heights’ which was also facilitated by Composer Fiona Linnane. Little Woodland Heights, designed by Nick Roth and supported by both CoMa and Diaphonique, explores trees and forests through music composition and sound, culminating in a final performance of a piece composed by the pupils from Scoil Mhuire Emhín, in addition to the planting of trees on the school grounds in Effin, County Limerick.

Nuala Dooly is a primary school teacher with 23 years of experience. She is currently teaching 3rd and 4th class pupils in a multi-class setting at Scoil Mhuire Eimhín, where she is also the Deputy Principal. Nuala is TAP+ trained teacher. She has worked collaboratively with creative artists in the facilitation of both TAP and BLAST residencies within her classroom and the whole school setting. Nuala believes in creating an inclusive, supportive classroom where every student’s unique abilities and ideas are valued. Through hands-on experiences in the arts, she encourages students to express themselves, think critically and develop problem-solving skills.

Tríona Walsh is an opera singer, collaborative artist and music educator. Her music education practice is rooted in the use of a child’s first instruments – the voice and the body- as a medium for expression, communication, play, and artistic exploration. Making music together provides children with a plethora of musical and non-musical benefits including building coordination and motor skills, resilience, empathy and communication skills through co-operative objectives. Triona is a TAP trained artist and works regularly with Music Generation partnerships and Sing Ireland, leading group singing days and providing classroom-based projects in various primary, secondary and early years settings. Her philosophy is one of inclusivity, differentiation and accepting every offer as an artistic expression of the child. Having fun and making ‘mistakes’ are essential ingredients in her collaborative process.

Creative Workshop: XR Drawing & Sculpting for Creative Practice, Education and Youth Engagement

Room EQ 212

Multidisciplinary Artist and Creative Technologist Barry “Hawkie” Haughey will introduce educators and artists to XR drawing and sculpting as powerful tools for creativity, inclusion and engagement. Participants will explore immersive 3D environments, experiment with digital mark-making and sculptural techniques and learn practical ways to bring XR into classrooms and youth spaces. Emphasising accessibility and collaboration, the session highlights how emerging technologies can amplify diverse voices and expand creative practice. Attendees will leave with practical insights, their own XR artworks and strategies for inspiring students and communities through immersive art-making.

Barry “Hawkie” Haughey is a multidisciplinary artist and creative technologist whose practice spans painting, street art, digital media, and immersive technologies. Founder of HoloGen, he develops innovative programmes that merge art, education and social impact, with a focus on accessibility and digital inclusion. His current work explores XR drawing, sculpting, and collaborative world-building, delivered through projects and training across Ireland, the UK, Europe and the US. With over 20 years’ experience in education and youth engagement, Hawkie is recognised for pioneering immersive pilots that amplify diverse voices and future-proof creative learning.