The Lament for Art O’Leary

Barry Devlin, whose series My Mother And Other Strangers recently ran on BBC One in the UK and Masterpiece Theatre in the US, has written extensively for film and TV, from series like Darling Buds of May and Ballykissangel and miniseries like Soul Survivors and Runway 1, to features like All Things Bright and Beautiful and A Man of No Importance. His day job is still as vocalist and bass player with Irish Celtic rock legends Horslips.

Lisa Dwan is an Irish performer, director, and writer, renowned internationally for her work with Samuel Beckett. Originally trained in the UK as a ballet dancer, she began acting professionally in her teens. She has worked extensively in theatre, film, and television both internationally and in her native Ireland, most recently starring in an award winning performance of Harold Pinter's The Lover and The Collection at STC in Washington, D.C. Lisa is currently teaching at Columbia University and developing a new theatre piece with Colm Tóibín based on Antigone and last week completed filming a new ten-part series for Netflix.

Johnny Fean, founding guitarist and singer with the Irish Celtic rock band Horslips, has performed on all the group’s album recordings, hit singles, and worldwide tours since 1972. After Horslips disbanded in 1980, Johnny moved to London and worked as a solo artist and studio session guitarist. In 2009, Horslips reformed for a series of concerts and studio and live recordings, and continue to work together today.

Ray Kubian is a drummer, vocalist, and songwriter with many credits, including an ongoing collaboration with poet Paul Muldoon, as part of Muldoon’s rock band Rogue Oliphant. He often lends his drumming skills to formidable indie rockers Dean Ween and Chris Forsyth, and is the touring drummer for the Detroit outfit Electric Six. He is co-founder of the New Jersey rock duo Naughty Clouds, recently featured at IAC.

In 1971, Jim Lockhart left a career in environmental economics to run off with a rock 'n' roll band, which became the legendary Celtic rock pioneers Horslips. Ten years and 13 albums later, having incessantly toured Europe and the US, Britain and Ireland, Horslips hung up their guitars. Jim joined RTÉ, Ireland's public broadcaster, where he continues to produce and present music and documentary programs, while remaining a musician and film composer. 2009 saw the band reform to great acclaim. Jim is married with three adult children.

Paul Muldoon is one of Ireland's leading contemporary poets. He has published more than 30 collections of poetry and won the Pulitzer Prize, T.S. Elliot Prize, and John William Corrington Award for his work. From 2007-2017, Muldoon was the poetry editor of the New Yorker. He serves as the Howard G.B. Clark Professor of the Humanities and Chair of the University Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at Princeton University, and is married to the novelist Jean Korelitz.

Ruth Smith is a performer, broadcaster, and musician based in County Clare and holds a BA in music, drama, and theatre studies from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in trad performance from the World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick. She is a regular presenter on RTÉ Radio 1 with her show Simply Folk, and co-hosted the inaugural RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards 2018 in Vicar Street. At the 2018 Fleadh Cheoil, Ruth was one of the presenters on TG4's FleadhTV along with Hector Ó hEochagáin and Doireann Ni Ghlacáin. Her recent on stage work includes performing in the 2017 Dublin production of the Oscar- and Tony Award-winning musical Once. Along with Panti Bliss, Emmet Kirwin and Lords of Strut, Ruth was also one of the original cast members of THISISPOPBABY's RIOT at the 2016 Dublin Fringe Festival. 

As a member of the vocal and instrumental trio the Evertides, Ruth plays fiddle, piano, and guitar. The band has performed at the Doolin Folk Festival and Temple Bar Trad Fest.