We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who attended our ISACS Annual General Meeting which took place on May 5th via Zoom. It was a great opportunity to come together and recap on another positive year for the network, which you’ll soon be able to read more about in our 2021 Annual Report (watch this space!)
This year, we had 2 open positions for members to join the Board of ISACS and three candidates up for election and we are delighted to say that Aoife Carry (Twisted Lane Productions) and Brian Rafferty (Irish Aerial Creation Centre) were successfully appointed – Congratulations to you both!
Finally, we would also like to extend a huge thank you to our outgoing Directors, Chantal McCormick (Fidget Feet Aerial Dance) and Niamh Colbert (Spraoi) for all their support, hard work, expertise and contributions to the network over the past number of years.
About Our New Board Members
Aoife Carry
Aoife is an experienced large scale Circus and Spectacle Director. She has worked Internationally as Artistic Director for companies such as Franco Dragone, MGM and Cirque Du Soleil. Her work has included large scale resident shows, arena touring shows, festival touring and outdoor performances. In these roles she works with large multidisciplinary teams and artists to produce performances that combine artistic and technical excellence. In 2021 she established Twisted Lane Productions, a Spectacle Theatre Company based in Ireland. With Twisted Lane Productions, her focus is to create large scale work that combines theatrical storytelling with the intimacy of immersive theatre. Current projects are exploring the connections between female story and rural landscape.
Aoife has received a number of funding awards from the Arts Council of Ireland, and is on the Arts Council of Ireland Peer Review Panel.
Aoife is passionate about the development of the Street Arts, Spectacle and Circus in Ireland and would like to commit on advocating and representing these art forms in a broader sense outside of her own work. Aoife has worked in large scale organisations where strategic and financial planning for diverse multi-disciplinary teams has been a key part other role, and she believes that these skills could transfer well into the board of ISACS.
Brian Rafferty
Brian Rafferty is Managing Director of the Irish Aerial Creation Centre with a wealth of business and trade association experience. Following a business degree in UL, Brian took over the family travel business with four agencies until 2011. He was on the board of the Irish Travel Agents Association for over 20 years reaching the position of Vice President for over eight years. Brian has worked in the property business, and scaled up a number of businesses in recent years including Travelsavers, The Urban Coop and was the Economic Development officer for Waterford County Council. He was also an elected County Councillor in Tipperary.
Brian would like to bring a lot of experience to the board. He has been involved in insurance solutions in the past and is lobbying heavily to get an insurance product for this sector. He would like to develop the Circus sector and get a sound foundation for aspiring artists and a funded pathway for those who are preparing for retirement. He is also currently developing certified training for both artists and teachers.