Launch event
Five years in the Making: Celebrating our CFA Alumni & Friends at MoLI
Pace Borza
Published - October 5, 2026
Creative Futures Academy are delighted to host an inspiring evening celebrating our CFA graduates in the beautiful surroundings of the Museum of Literature Ireland at Newman House.
This event will bring together alumni from across CFA’s partner institutions – NCAD, IADT and UCD – offering a special opportunity for our learners to reconnect and celebrate their achievements and find out what’s up next for CFA.
During the evening, Guests will enjoy live creative performances, showcasing the talent and diversity of the CFA community with fellow alumni, educators, and industry professionals from across the CFA Network.
Creative Futures Academy is a ground-breaking partnership between three creative higher education institutions: The National College of Art and Design (NCAD), University College Dublin (UCD), and the Institute of Art, Design + Technology (IADT). CFA offers flexible learning pathways in collaboration with industry experts to identify future skills and knowledge needs.
Please note: there will also be filming and photography captured on the night. Please reach out to a member of the CFA team in advance if you have any concerns.
Guest arrive – Networking, Drinks and Canapes |
Character Bust Sculpting Exhibition in the Riverrun section in the Aula at MoLI – Paul McDonnell (IADT) & Gemma Byrne – Graduate in the Certificate in Character Bust Sculpting (IADT) |
CFA journey: 5 years in the Making – Welcome address by Louise Allen, Director of Creative Futures Academy. |
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6.55pm – 7.05pm Performance: Seven Springs by UCD Traditional Music Practices: Lucien Buhr (Banjo/Bazouki), Méin Nic Craith (Concertina), Sorcha Stockman (Fiddle) & Dáire Ó’Maoildeirg (Uilleann Pipes/Fiddle). The Traditional Music Practices module was created as part of Dónal Lunny’s Artistic Residency with UCD and the Creative Futures Academy in 2022-2023. Songs to be performed: 1. The Sisters Waltz (Méin Nic Craith), 2. Na Ceannabháin Bhána and 3. Elizabeth Kelly’s – The Merry Sisters – The Silver Speare. Listen to the Seven Springs Album here. |
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7.05pm – 7.15pm Artist and poet, Derval Tubridy is Emeritus Professor of Goldsmiths, London and member of the Black Church Print Studios, Dublin. She is a graduate for our Diploma in Art and Ecology at NCAD. She will showcase 2 of her pieces on the screen at MoLI: Cutback (2006) Crow (2006) Derval will also perform some poems from her work Anchoring Until in MoLI |
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Event Finishes |
The evening will be hosted by Creative Futures Academy Director, Lousie Allen, with artistic performances from graduates of the Creative Futures Academy.
Louise has extensive leadership experience in the creative and cultural sector both nationally and internationally. As Director of the Creative Futures Academy, a pivotal initiative that will provide agile and responsive courses to up-skill Ireland’s cultural and creative sector, she leads a team that spans three Higher Education Institutes: The National College of Art & Design (NCAD), Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT) and University College Dublin (UCD).
Paul McDonnell is a stop-motion artist, model maker and Creative Director of Stiúideo Fia in Connemara, Co. Galway. He has worked in film, model making, puppet fabrication, miniatures and practical effects for more than 30 years, alongside teaching at IADT for 25 years. Through Stiúideo Fia, he is developing a centre for stop-motion production, specialist craft training, artist development and Frame Fest, Ireland’s dedicated stop-motion festival.
Méin Nic Craith is a final year student in University College Dublin studying Creative and Cultural Industries, specialising in Irish language and folklore. From An Rinn in Gaeltacht na nDéise, she has played the concertina from a young age, and has performed at various events and festivals in Ireland and abroad over the years.
Sorcha Stockman is a fiddle player from North Belfast. Her style is mainly influenced by the northern style. Currently studying in University College Dublin, she can be found playing regularly in sessions around Dublin, Belfast and other parts of the country. She has toured with groups across Ireland, Italy, the Basque Country and the States and has performed at festivals including Belfast TradFest, Scoil Geimhridh Ghaoth Dobhair and Letterkenny TradFest.
Lucien Buhr is a Banjo and Bouzouki player from New York. Drawing inspiration from his hometown, he blends the New York style of Irish traditional music with that of his home of the past 6 years, Dublin. A history student at University College Dublin, Lucien combines his passion for research with his passion for music by digging deep to find old records of tunes both well known and obscure which he shares with his peers in the many sessions he attends around Ireland. He has performed in multiple countries, and has been back to New York but always finds himself back where the music originated in Ireland.
Dáire Ó Maoildeirg is an uilleann piper and fiddle player whose music draws on both traditional and classical influences. A student at University College Dublin, he has recorded his own composition with Dónal Lunny as part of the CFA Traditional Music Practices module. Dáire is also a member of the National Folk Orchestra of Ireland, with whom he has performed at venues around Ireland, including the Wexford Opera House and the Ulster Hall in Belfast.
Derval Tubridy is an Irish artist and poet. Emeritus Professor of Goldsmiths, London, she is a member of The Black Church Print Studios, Dublin and graduate of NCAD CFA Art & Ecology. Recent group exhibitions include Satellite at The Library Project, curated by Colin Martin (2026) and Hands On at Walters curated by Maser. Her intaglio print ‘Entanglement’ was selected by Brian Fay for The Witness Tree Project, a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin Botany Dept. and The Black Church Print Studios which will be presented at TCD as part of Science Week 2026. In 2026 Derval Tubridy won an Irish Writers Centre National Mentoring Programme Award, and The Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet competition. Her debut chapbook I Will Say That was published by Smith|Doorstop in September 2026. www.dervaltubridy.com @DervalTubridy
