Meet isacs International Guests at Spraoi 2025

Brent Cassidy is Artistic Director and founder of The Irish Festival of Oulu, the world’s northernmost Irish cultural festival located 200 km from the Arctic Circle in Finland. He’s also a seasoned Irish musician, storyteller and Gaeilgeoir with deep connection to Irish oral traditions. In 2026, Brent is curating a 2-day multidisciplinary arts’ street event called Cultural Kaleidoscopes, which is part of the 19th Irish Festival of Oulu and official program partner of Oulu’s 2026 European Capital of Culture.

Ian Morley is a creative professional and is exceptionally passionate about developing artists and creative encounters. He has worked in the arts sector in Yorkshire for over 25 years, taking on many roles from producing large scale outdoor festivals and events to programming venues, intimate theatre projects, touring small-scale theatre, producing community theatre projects and performing, stage managing and leading creative workshops.

Freedom Festival – Freedom Festival, Hull’s flagship arts event. Attracting over 70,000 people to Hull the festival has harnessed the transformative power of the arts to address socially relevant topics like freedom, through the presentation of captivating performances, participatory projects and thought-provoking installations all presented in outside space, and free-to-access.

Director of Cluster Arts, championing Australia’s finest circus and physical theatre. With 9+ years in arts management and a Graduate Diploma in Arts & Culture, I’m passionate about developing artists’ creative and business potential. Proud Asialink Leadership alumnus (2021) connecting Australian performers with global opportunities.

After several years working in theatre, Régis turned to producing and programming contemporary circus and arts the public space. For the last 5 years he has been advising and programming for Le Palc Pôle National cirque and the FURIES festival based in Châlons-en-Champagne.

Andrew Sim has been the Festival Director for the Reykjavík Fringe for three years now, focusing on alternative comedy and expanding the selection of shows at the festival. He’s a trained actor and bouffon character comedian. Originally from Scotland and living full time in Iceland.

Reykjavík Fringe Festival, rvkfringe.is, Reykjavík Iceland, 2nd to 8th June 2025 & 15th to 21st June 2026. Multi-genre Fringe festival in the heart of Reykjavík, we program 70-80 shows in-doors but looking to expand our outdoor section.

Adrian is Director of Eden Arts, a Combined Arts organisation based in Cumbria.  He is a member of culture sector panels and bodies in Cumbria and the north-west as part of his role to advocate for impactful arts across sectors.  He works to bring great culture to the north with a passion for arts that are ‘useful’ to communities and places and help to bring about change.

Hugh Farrell is the Head of Cultural Affairs based at the Irish Embassy and Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, a role funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade and Culture Ireland.   With a remit covering the whole of France, Hugh’s role is to facilitate opportunities for Irish cultural practitioners by working with artists, institutions, and funding bodies alike to support the development, collaboration, producing and touring of Irish work in France.