Mythic Minds - Bard Mythologies

A series of challenging Presentations from friends of Bard Mythologies. We call it Mythic Minds because the content connected well with the myths we were and are exploring. These were presentations made during one of the Bards Nine Waves Immersions.

Mythic Mind 1 – Ian Hughes

Leadership: Dangerous Personalities destroying Democracy – and what we can do about it

Ian Hughes is the author of Disordered Minds: How Dangerous Personality Disorders Are Destroying Democracy and contributing author to The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.
He is a Senior Research Fellow at the MaREI Centre at University College Cork in Ireland.

This is a provocative insight from Ian Hughes, author of ‘Disordered Minds’ as to how so many leaders in the last century had one, two or three significant personality disorders – that harmed not just themselves but others.

Mythic Mind 2 – John Ashton

An Invocation: An enchanting journey into Ireland’s deep mythic heritage and enduring relevance

John Ashton is a thinker and activist with a ‘diplomatic’ and advisory background as well as a carer.
After a number of years as advisor on environment to three British goernments he set up an environmental consultancy. Then spent four years caring for his mother.

This is an urgent invocation as to the special role myth, especially Irish Myth, can play and must play in our lives in a troubled modernity. For an arrivee these words are about a deeply respectful immersion and internalising of the Irish Myth tradition as well as highlighting their global-ness.

Mythic Mind 3 – Marie Therese Walker

Jewellery and Storytelling: A gifted Jeweller speaks to her art as storytelling and how story brings a ‘jewel’ to life.

Marie-Therese Walker of MTW Jewellery is a Goldsmith and Jewellery Designer. From a young age Marie-Therese was aware of line, form and architecture, which continues to inform her practice. Studies in Anthropology, Classical Studies, Mythology, Art History and Yoga provide sources of inspiration, which she says “*is in a constant state of flux”*. Originating from Dublin, with a 1st Class honours in Design, MTW trained and worked with a Master Goldsmith in Kilkenny for twelve years before making Tipperary her home.

Marie Therese Walker is a craftswoman whose work is informed by story and myth and whose jewels tell a story. It is a reciprocal relationship where matter comes to life, and life is somehow enriched by a beautiful, sacred even, thing. Her passion is infectious.

Mythic Mind 4 – Brendan Tobin

Legal Systems: The Law of Indigenous Peoples

Research Fellow Law School, Griffith University | Lecturer Irish Centre for Human Rights NUIG | Author Indigenous Peoples, Customary Law and Human Rights

This powerful talk from Brendan Tobin, Author and Researcher explores customary law, its relation to other legal systems and the fit of traditional law with oral myth systems. Brendan looked at The world’s indigenous systems of law before coming back to his own country’s Brehon Law. Brendan also looks at Human Rights Law.

Mythic Mind 5 – Máirin ni Nualláin

Jungian Psychology with Irish Myth
Jungian Analyst and Psychiatrist | Grew up as Native Irish speaker in Carraroe, Connemara | Presenter on TG4 and Radio na Gaeltachta.

Jungian Analyst and Psychiatrist | Grew up as Native Irish speaker in Carraroe, Connemara | Presenter on TG4 and Radio na Gaeltachta.

Long time member of the Bard shares the fit of Jungian Psychology with Irish Myth with a particular focus on The Jungian functions and concepts like ‘shadow’ and ‘projection’. Also offers an interpretation of the four gifts of the Tuatha de Danaan.

Mythic Mind 6 – Paul Joyce

Myth and Art: A story of transformation through a difficult time, with the Children of Lir Myth

Paul ran his own Architecture Practice for many years in Dublin. However, his deeper passion has always been Art. He now paints full time and has a particular interest in Mythic Themes. His Lir series was followed by the Newgrange series capturing the great Neolithic Goddess sites. His epic Cesair painting promise s to be a new art form, a painting that is an eternal “work in progress”.

Long time friend of the Bard, Artist of the Myth, Paul Joyce shares how doing his series of paintings based on the Children of Lir helped him navigate a difficult time, professionally and personally, after the financial crisis of 2008….. ‘sometimes you just have to learn to dance in the rain’

Mythic Mind 7 – The Children of Lir – Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop

The Lir Legend in Lore and in Modernity

Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop co-founded the Bard with her husband Sandy in 1995. She has a Masters Degree in Folklore from UCD and her Thesis was on the Lir legend. She was part of academic studies of Irish Culture with the Department of Sociology in UCD. Her background is as a psychotherapist, family and group analyst. She was CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre for 10 years, Acting CEO of Saoirse Women’s Refuges, Chair of the National Women’s Council for two years. She is Adjunct Professor of Law in UCL.

In this mythic evening Ellen explores the Story of the Story as it travelled throughout Europe and then how it has a particular hold on the Irish people through to today. In the second part of the evening she tells of her experience working with the Lir Myth in a variety of settings with different groups.

Mythic Mind 8 – John Fanning

Cultural Transitions: Mandarin, Musician and Sage
Working together to change the course of the Irish Economy and History

John Fanning is one of Ireland’s most highly regarded marketeers and brand builderHe was Chairman of McConnells Advertising for many years and is currently Chairman of the Brand Forum at Bord Bia as well as a Lecturer at the UCD Smurfit Business School.

This Mythic Minds Evening is a fascinating insight in to a major transition in Ireland in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The talk was based on John’s PhD thesis “The Mandarin, the Musician and the Sage” and how TK Whittaker, public servant and economist led a major re-think of Ireland’s economic policy. But as John points out, this change was strongly influenced by matters cultural, namely the music of Sean O’Riada, and the poetry of Thomas Kinsella, the translator of the Tain.

Mythic Mind 9 – Mary Condren

Brigit: The Burnt Offerings of Sacrifice or the Living Gifts
Two world views sharply contrasted through the Brigit Myth

Mary Condren is highly regarded feminist theologian. She has degrees in theology, sociology, social anthropology (University of Hull); religion and society (Boston College); religion, gender and culture (Harvard University). Her interdisciplinary work at the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies in Trinity College Dublin concerns the interface between world views and gender, with a specific focus on cultures that promote violence.

Mythic Minds evening entitled Brigit: The Burnt Offerings of Sacrifice or the Living Gifts of Love and Mercy? draws on her research in Irish mythology, political psychology, psychoanalytic, philosophical and feminist theories. In this evening she draws a powerful distinction between the sacrifice/guilt paradigm and the mercy/compassion paradigm of the Brigit Myths.