Line Up
Music, Sound, Poetry and Art
Jack Harrison
Jack has worked as a folklorist, musician and yoga teacher for the last 30 years and has integrated these paths together in the Celtic School of Yoga. He is a principal author of a seminal book on the parallels between yoga and the Celtic world and he has recorded three acclaimed albums of yoga music.
His teachings and practice explore how it is to ally movement of the body with breath, focus, mythology, poetry, music and the natural world—and the astonishing fact of being alive.
Eve Rose
Laura (Eve Rose) is a poet and activist who uses an ancient Irish poetic practice to fuel her work. ‘Imbas Forosnai’ is an old Irish term which means ‘inspiration that illuminates’. The filí (seer-poets) of pre-Christian Ireland used this practice to bring healing to society and truth to power. The practice was banned by St. Patrick and all but written out of history. The words ‘Imbas Forosnai’ no longer exist in modern Irish vernacular. Since having a spontaneous experience of Imbas Forosnai on Brigid’s Way pilgrimage in 2013, Laura has been working towards remembering, restoring and reviving this practice within a culturally relevant modern context. Laura’s Imbas-infused work has been featured in the Abbey Theatre’s critically acclaimed ‘HOME: Part One’, Herstory lightshows, TG4’s ‘Imeall’ and RTÉ documentary ‘Finding Brigid’. She is poet in residence at Herstory, the movement illuminating female role-models. Laura was a key player in the campaign to make Brigid’s Day a national holiday and is an advocate for mother and baby home survivors.
Brian Flemming
Brian Fleming is a musician, theatre maker and festival director. He has played in over 30 countries and recorded on over 50 albums and performed with musicians such as Jack Harrison, Jack L, Davy Spillane, Mamady Keita and The Chieftains. He is credited in the Guinness Book of World Records 2001 as the creator of the “Millennium Drum,” the world’s largest drum. He is the writer and performer of three successful one-man shows, including ‘Gis a Shot of Your Bongos Mister,’ nominated for awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Brian has facilitated hundreds of drumming workshops and his online tutorials on the bodhran have been viewd over half a million times. Brian loves art about interculturalism and social justice. He has worked with New York’s inclusive St Pat’s For All Parade as Artistic Producer since 2001 and is Director of the annual Big Bang Festival of Rhythm in Dublin since 2007. He is currently living the Wild Atlantic Dream in Co Clare and is managed by a large dog called Yogi Bear.
Remember to Dance
Elaine Joyce is the founder of Remember to Dance, a sporadic series of dance workshops to remind you to dance. Elaine is a trained ballet and jazz dancer, with a background in choreography too. After taking a few years off dancing and then returning to classes, she realised her skills weren’t what they once were, so she set up ‘Remember to Dance’ as a reminder to herself and everyone, that dancing does not need to be skilled to be joyous. Her mantra is – Come and dance, even if you can’t!
Elaine Burke
Elaine is an experienced yoga and meditation teacher, soundbath facilitator and trainee psychotherapist with an interest in merging body based practices with psychotherapy, facilitated through sound. Elaine is an Athlone based teacher, who runs weekly classes through mindful yoga, beginner vinyasa yoga and meditation as well as bi-monthly and monthly yoga and sound healing events. Elaine is passionate about how we can work with our unconscious through yoga and meditation, releasing self limiting beliefs, and aims to provide an inclusive space where self acceptance is promoted and all parts of ourselves are welcome.
Olive MacDonagh
Olive MacDonagh is the founder of Butterfly Cottage Retreat, a local little piece of heaven in Co. Westmeath. Olive is a Kundalini Yogi, mantra artist and professional sound therapist amongst her talents of deeply relaxing and nourishing guests and bringing people home to themselves. Her classes and retreats are a wonderful blend of breathing, movement and sound practices. Her soundbaths are the icing on the cake with her use of healing instruments and voice to bring people to a relaxed state of bliss.
Kay Kilroy
Kay has worked as a teacher, psychotherapist and in more recent years, has linked her life-long interest in the healings of plants, minerals and sea in her practice as homeopath. Sound is a central element in homeopathy and her soundbaths are both healing and inspirational. Her intention is for the healing vibrations to form a catalyst of inspiration to remember all the wisdom and love within yourself. She celebrates ourselves in our own uniqueness.
Rachel Coyne
Rachel Coyne is a visual artist and co-founder of Cúige Studios Mullingar. She holds a BA Fine Art Degree from ATU Galway and has studied at New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting & Sculpture. Rachel’s work is concerned with the feminine as she investigates social and domestic feminist issues through paint. She teaches art classes to children and adults (The Artist’s Mess) and co-hosts regular creative social events at Cúige Art Studio.
Join Rachel and The Yoga Picnic community by letting your creative mind flow in creating a collaborative work of art using sustainable, earth-friendly materials.
Paul Johnson
Paul started playing Bass guitar at age 16 and played in his first band in 1981 with Sharon and Jim Corr, who went on to star in the famous Corrs. He played as a session musician on an Irish TV program called Sibín and was lucky enough to play with Ronnie Drew, Eleanor Shanley and many others. He has recorded and played live gigs to date with De Danann, The Higglers, Eleanor Shanley, Brendan Hearty, John Prine, Phillip Donnelly, Tom Cussons, Ruth Dillon, Sean Tyrell and others. He has appeared on the Late Late Show and Kenny Live with De Danann and was bass player with the great Maimin Cajun Band. As well as bass, Paul also plays acoustic and electric guitar and toured some years back as a guitarist with Irish Traditional band Fonn Caoi, which featured Varina Cummins on accordion, Julie Langan on fiddle and Kevin Dohertry on double bass. He runs his own small recording studio where he recorded and edited Alec Finn’s album, Inishfree, on which he played fretless bass and double bass.
Andrea Cullen
Andrea is multi-disciplinary artist & designer. Founder of Bronte Design House and Co-founder of Cuige. Andrea has a degree in fashion design from LSAD and a master from NCAD in Design. As Creative director of Bronte Design House Andrea has worked with many of the top creatives, brands and fresh new talent who are making lots of noise in Ireland. Along with her sister Tanya of Bronte Photography they are the creative and artistic Directors of “The Blizzards” latest album and the last four music videos to the design of their live stage shows. She has designed some of the top brands in the country, Caribou, Bonobo, Impala, Sherwoods, Cuige to name a few and was the Artistic Director to Niall Breslins “where is my mind” live show in the Olympia Theatre in Dublin in May 2023. Andrea has designed the brand and websites for both Alyce and Katy Harrison’s yoga businesses and most recently designed the yoga picnic logo. At The Yoga Picnic, Andrea has put her artistic and creative hat on and sprinkled her design flare throughout the festival, from the main entrance to the way finding and a few secret sections that will tickle your creative souls.
Jenny Ní Ruiséil
Jenny is an Irish yogini, musician and teacher originally from Dublin who teaches and practices traditional tantric hatha yoga & meditation. She also shares the magic of Bhakti yoga through her Kirtan sessions online and in Ireland (a devotional practice involving mantra chanting and group singing). She is committed to exploring, practicing and living a heart-based, creative life, using the traditional teachings of the Himalayan Masters combined with the deep roots of her Irish and Celtic lineage as guides and frameworks. Her fascination with all things music, sound, language and energy-based has led her to explore the connections between these ancient spiritual practices and their relation to the body, heart and mind of today’s practitioner, and how rooting ourselves deeply in a practice, lineage or tradition can help to facilitate an even deeper sense of home.