It’s been a busy year for Juggler Brendan, performing and teaching and working with various communities.
I had a brilliant time on residency in St Aidan’s Primary School, Enniscorthy, through the Teacher-Artist Partnership (TAP) programme. The school is so big they have 5 of every class! I was there one day a week for 9 weeks, teaching workshops and performing shows. I had some great workshops in secondary schools like St Mary’s CBS and primary schools like Avoca NS – and am currently half-way through a BLAST residency with Castlerockrell NS! While the TAP and BLAST programmes are pretty similar, Castlerockrell has a total of 32 students, meaning my two residencies couldn’t be much more different! I was delighted to return to a few schools I taught in last year, arriving to the delighted squeals of “THE JUGGLER IS BACK!” as I carried my equipment in through the schoolyard.
My half-hour comedy juggling street show is a blend of incredible tricks, unbelievable magic, terrible jokes, audience participation, and a healthy dose of danger. I developed this show with gracious support from an ArtLinks bursary thanks to Wexford Arts Office. I’ve performed it all across the South, from Pitch’d Circus Festival to FuddleFest to Enniscorthy Street Rhythms to Macroom Food Festival! This weekend at the DKIT Circus Festival gala show I get to try out something new, a whole new act using a prop that has fascinated me for some time: raw eggs. This is one step closer to my dream of making an entire show based around the oldest, most fragile, and nutritious of juggling props.
It’s been great engaging with local community groups this year. After joining the Creative Communities Artists’ Panel for County Wexford, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach a series of adult circus classes in the village of Tomhaggard. I taught Explorer workshops on ISACS’ Circus Explored programme in Dungarvan. I worked with the Roma youth group in FDYS Enniscorthy, I have upcoming workshops with the WLD Elevate programme, and I’ve taught for a variety of other community groups, from Ossory Youth workshops across county Kilkenny, to camogie clubs in Dublin, to girl guides in Meath!
I was awarded R&D funding by Creative Places Enniscorthy to look at the possibility of setting up a community circus programme here, which is very exciting. Last month we had a fantastic day at Tea on the Green in Gimont, Enniscorthy, where myself and a number of other artists spent an afternoon giving demos and running inclusive workshops. I’m also a member of the ‘ground group’ for Creative Places Enniscorthy – a small group of artists and community workers who act as advisors for the programme.
Still, my proudest achievement this year was the birth of my baby daughter. It’s been a pleasure and a privilege over the last 8 months caring for her, watching her grow, and even including her in a few silly (harmless!) juggling tricks. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Photo by David Hegarty at Pitch’d Circus Festival 2024.