Carlow College will host Carlow’s first-ever TEDx event on Wednesday, 25 February, taking place at the GB Shaw Theatre in VISUAL. Under the theme “Rewriting the Narrative”, TEDxCarlow College will feature fourteen inspiring speakers, each bringing bold ideas and fresh perspectives to the stage.
Across the day, audiences will hear insights spanning psychology, cultural heritage, poetry and literature, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture, consciousness and science, career pathways, and the growing influence—and value—of Irish identity in digital culture. A selection of final-year students will also be presenting their current dissertation research.
This landmark event represents a major cultural moment for Carlow, highlighting local voices alongside nationally recognised speakers who are challenging assumptions, reframing stories, and sparking meaningful conversations.
Event Details
Date: Wednesday, 25th February
Time: 9.30am – 1.30pm
Location: GB Shaw Theatre, VISUAL Carlow
List of Talks:
- Killian Mc Grath – Consciousness: Have We Been Asking the Wrong Question?
- Dr Dylan Colbert – Shackleton at 150: Polar Psychologist
- Aoden Ó Faoláin – Everything is terrible and it’s only going to get worse: A forecast from the IT department.
- Dr Judy Bolger – Breastfeeding has always been a social issue – a historical view
- Dr Derek Coyle – No Wandering Lonely: Journeying Toward Poetry with Others’
- Dr James Heaney – W.B. Yeats and the Pursuit of Ignorance
- Allison Stephens – What’s missing from science? The rest of us
- Adam Clarke – Influencers and the Irish Identity
- Donnchadh O Mahony – Most students don’t lack ambition, they lack permission.
- Regina Dunne – TBC
- Alibhe Gerrard – TBC
About the Speakers
Dr Judy Bolger
Adam Clarke
Adam Clarke is an English and History graduate of Carlow College and works as a Marketing Manager within the UK Videogame Industry. Adam specializes in Influencer Marketing within the gaming sector and has worked with creators such as MatPat, Super Eyepatch Wolf, and Troy Baker in research and commercial capacities.
Dr Dylan Colbert
Dylan is an experimental psychologist whose research at Maynooth University challenged long-held beliefs about intelligence, showing that cognitive performance can be improved through targeted training. His work has attracted wide interest and led to speaking engagements across Ireland and Europe.
He has over ten years of lecturing experience in Psychology and Data Analysis at Maynooth University, Dublin Business School, and Carlow College.
Beyond academia, Dylan runs a successful performance and sports psychology practice, supporting clients from students and musicians to CEOs and Olympic‑calibre athletes.
Dr Derek Coyle
Regina Dunne
Regina Dunne is a public historian and heritage specialist from County Laois whose work focuses on local history, women’s history, genealogy and digital engagement with the past. A graduate of Carlow College’s BA (Hons) in English & History and its MA in Irish Regional History, she has built a career connecting communities with their heritage through research, storytelling and public history projects. Regina is the author of Opening a Window on the Past, exploring the lives of pioneering Laois women. Regina is the Tourism Strategy Manager with Dublin City Council, where she leads the implementation of the city’s sustainable tourism strategy.
Ailbhe Gerrard
Ailbhe Gerrard is a farmer, beekeeper, researcher and agricultural educator, and the founder of Brookfield Farm on the shores of Lough Derg, Co. Tipperary. With postgraduate training in sustainable development and organic farming in the UK, she returned to Ireland to build a regenerative, nature-led farm that combines livestock, bees, woodlands and biodiversity work with public learning and collaboration. Over the past fifteen years she has developed Brookfield as both a working farm and a place of exchange, convening farmers, artists, scientists and communities through the Field Exchange programme to explore practical climate and biodiversity solutions on the ground.
Patryk Hadrys
Patryk Hadrys is a post-primary English and History teacher. Patryk completed his PME in Trinity College Dublin, where he specialised in analysing how English as an Additional Language education is structured in post-primary schools in Ireland. He completed his BA English & History in Carlow College, St. Patrick’s, for which he received the Constance Markievicz 2022 Award. His thesis examined the life of young insurgents in Poland during World War II.
Dr James Heaney
Dr James Heaney is a lecturer in English and Irish Studies at Carlow College, St Patrick’s. He specialises in European and world drama, modern Irish and Hispanic literature, and creative writing. James has published widely on writers such as Kate O’Brien, Mary Lavin, Patrick Pearse, W.B. Yeats, Antonio Machado, and Rafael Alberti. He is presently completing a book on literature and republicanism in early twentieth‑century Ireland and Spain.
Dr Killian McGrath
Dr Killian McGrath is a philosopher and lecturer whose primary research lies at the intersection of phenomenology and the philosophy of mind. His work also engages political philosophy, metaphysics, and continental philosophy of science, as well as broader questions concerning philosophy’s role in understanding the human condition. He currently teaches at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and lectures in Political Philosophy at Carlow College, St Patrick’s. His work has been published in prestigious philosophy journals and presented at international conferences. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and an MA in Music. His academic career includes research stays (University of Cambridge) and public lectures exploring philosophy’s place in contemporary life.
Aoden O'Fáolain
Aoden Ó Faoláin is the IT Manager for Carlow College St Patrick’s, and has been working in the IT department for close to 10 years in different roles, engaging with staff, students and suppliers. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Games Development from Carlow Institute of Technology (now SETU). He is a short time professional software engineer, and remains an amateur software engineer after leaving said line of work. He first connected to the internet ~27 years ago and never left.
Donnchadh O'Mahony
Donnchadh O’Mahony is a guidance counsellor, educator and media contributor best known as the host of the hugely popular Leaving Cert Guidance podcast. A Carlow College graduate, he has worked in education since 2008 and is a regular voice in national media, contributing to outlets such as The Irish Independent, The Irish Times, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2FM and Today FM. Donnchadh is also the founder of FindMyCollegeCourse.ie, an EdTech platform designed to help students navigate college choices with clarity and confidence. An experienced speaker, he delivers talks nationwide on the CAO, progression routes and student wellbeing, and has become a leading figure in supporting students and families through the transition to third‑level education.
Alison Stephens
Allison Stephens is a Fulbright Scholar at Research Ireland and an interdisciplinary researcher in public policy, informatics, and systems design. Drawing on leadership in governance, business operations, and implementation science, she develops decision‑making frameworks that integrate scientific evidence with real‑world insight to strengthen complex systems in diverse international settings.
About TEDx
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)
About TED
TED is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to discovering, debating and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, thousands of independently run TEDx events. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze $6.6 billion in funding for projects that support bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges — working to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future, and in 2023 TED launched TED Democracy to spark a new kind of conversation focused on realistic pathways towards a more vibrant and equitable future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.
This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.