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 governments 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.
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 Minds 7 – The Children of Lir
Ellen has a Masters in Folklore from UCD School of Folklore. She studies with Daithi O’hOgain, a long time friend of the Bard. Ellen was the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, former Chairperson of the National Women’s Council of Ireland Adjunct Professor, School of Law University of Limerick. Psychotherapist and Group Analyst |Member of Legal Aid Board.
Based on her research in UCD’s Folklore Department, Ellen will present her findings on the story of the story as well as her exploratory group work using the myth of the Children of Lir.
This Mythic Mind talk covers the historical roots of the Children of Lir Myth as well as introducing a new translation of the story. Ellen also covers the many portrayals of the myth in modern Irish Culture. The second half of the talk is about the use of the Myth as a means of analysing and reflecting on culture. This research with different groups highlights the deep and insightful role the myths can play as a way of doing “cultural” work.