Our People

Ismahane Meliani is French-Tunisian creative producer from Paris. She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh with a degree in Scottish Studies and of the MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at University College Cork. She was Finance Officer of the once-off Rebound Arts Festival (2022). Being from a bi-cultural family, Ismahane has always been passionate about foreign cultures and languages. She actively pursues this passion through cultural project management for arts institutions in France, South Africa and in Ireland as Company Administrator and Content Developer for The Trailblazery.

Tom has worked in the arts since 2007, across marketing, sponsorship, audience development, and programming. He has connected hundreds of thousands of people nationally and internationally with memorable cultural experiences and steered brands to meaningful engagements with those audiences. He has worked with The Trailblazery, Thisispopbaby, Schweppe Curtis Nunn, Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland, Body & Soul Festival, Waterways Ireland, Macnas, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Kilkenny Cat Laughs, Universal Pictures Ireland, Airbnb and many others. Since 2015, Tom has brokered or managed sponsorships to the value of €1.8m. He has sat on the Board of Directors of GAZE International LGBT Film Festival. His career started with Dublin Fringe Festival, followed by two years at Element Pictures before going freelance in 2015.

Sarah McBrien is a Producer and Project Manager, with an MA in Arts Management & Creative Producing from University College Cork. She was Production Manager of the once-off Out of Orbit Festival (2020) and has produced two short films, an eight-episode online series, and several interviews for print and digital broadcast. Raised in Connaught and educated in Munster, she is an avid student of Irish history, culture, and language, which she brings to Hedge School events here at The Trailblazery.

Sandra Maria is a Polish vocalist, vocal coach and healing music creator who has lived in Ireland for 18 years and currently travels the world in a DIY camper van. With an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from DCU, she left her scientific career to pursue a more creative path. Sandra's passion for social media has led her to her current role as a Digital Officer for The Trailblazery, where she channels her excitement and experience.

Sandra's love for Ireland and Clannad music drew her to move there in 2004, where she learned to connect with the land's spirit, experiencing it as a goddess. During her time in Ireland, she discovered a deep affection for the land, formed meaningful connections with the locals, and learned to appreciate its unique culture and traditions. Through exploring the country's breathtaking landscapes and sacred places, participating in its vibrant spiritual community events, she gained a profound understanding of Ireland's soul, which fostered her love and respect for the country and its people.

Lydia Campbell is a changemaker, businesswoman, coach, new paradigm facilitator, leadership trainer, healer, mother, homebirther, tea n’ croissant lover. She works to empower leaders and expand organisational consciousness through grounded practical guidance with an unapologetic, pioneering twist. She has been described as a lighthouse, helping people and organisations find clarity and take their most transformational next-step amidst the foggy, complex challenges of life today. She studied law, adult development and energy healing arts and these three disciplines merge together through her consulting practice. Lydia has a toddler son and of all the teachers she has had, he is, by far, the greatest learning experience of them all.

In her new role at DCU as the Centre Director for the Irish Centre for Cloud Computing and Commerce, Joan Mulvihill is at the very heart of research and innovation in Ireland. During her 7 years as CEO of the IIA, Joan has been a change advocate and agent with her irrepressible enthusiasm and energy.  An original Trailblazery contributing speaker at The Office of Non-Compliance and on the Wonderlust stage, Joan moves freely between very personal truth telling in a field to big picture policy shaping in a board room. A professional disruptor, Joan balances creative thinking with ordered action. The Innovation Champion for Ireland at the inaugural Innovation Luminary Awards, Joan has a longstanding reputation for being a #bossygirl. 

Fran worked with The Trailblazery from 2014 to 2019. During this time she enjoyed producing a wide range of events that include the Wonderlust Stage at Body & Soul Festival, Freedom in Kilmainham Gaol, and Resolution in Christchurch Cathedral. Fran also spent 9 months working on the Census of the Heart and played an integral role in the early days of Moon Medicine and is proud of her contribution to both. Fran still works in events, with Catapult, one of Ireland's leading creative events agencies and lives in beautiful West Cork.

Ali is a management and organisational consultant based in Dublin, working throughout Ireland and the UK. Specialising in the areas of culture, tourism, heritage and education, Ali is a Director of CHL Consulting Ltd providing a range of services to clients in the public and private sectors. She holds a Diploma in Group Analytic Work Practice from The School of Psychotherapy and a Certificate in Organisational Consulting and Change from The Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. 

Ciara Cavanagh is a creative producer and project manager and has worked with an extensive range of musicians and artists, as well as organisations such as Dublin Contemporary, The Trailblazery, pop up productions, Body and Soul, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Kaleidoscope Night, Camerata Kilkenny, the Barrow River Arts Festival, City Spectacular, IMMA, Ficino Ensemble and the Irish Baroque Orchestra. Ciara is also a freelance violinist and music teacher, and works with a number of community music projects in the Dublin area. When she isn't making creative things happen, she can be found cooking, walking in the National Botanic Gardens or sitting on the floor playing with her two kiddies.

Clare Mulvany was a co-founder of The Trailblazery. She is currently a creative leadership mentor, learning designer, author and founder of Thrive School. With a continued belief that the stories we tell of ourselves - individually and collectively- matter more than ever, her mission is to support people to tap into their story, power and vision through creativity and leadership. She leads writing retreats and leadership development programmes in West Cork, alongside a series of online learning programmes. Clare has a Master’s Degree in International Education from Oxford University and is a Social Entrepreneurs Ireland awardee.

Manchán Magan is a writer and documentary-maker. He has written books on his travels in Africa, India and South America and two novels. He writes occasionally for The Irish Times, reports on travel for various radio programmes, and has presented dozens of documentaries on issues of world culture for TG4, RTÉ  & Travel Channel. He lives in his oak forest in a self-made hovel in Westmeath.

A consultant, coach, facilitator, yoga teacher, mentor and retreat leader at the heart of her work Mari is an activist. She activates potential and humanity as a force for good in the world. She believes at this time of flux and uncertainty we can evolve new futures and new narratives by humanising our workplaces, cultivating more humanity within ourselves and unleashing the power of shared humanity in society. She uniquely weaves masterful facilitation, developmental theory, contemporary leadership models with ancient wisdom practices into her work of personal & organisational development and social cultural transformation.

Ruth Meehan is a writer and director who has been producing award winning work for both film and television in Ireland and Britain since 1998. With a breath of experience in both factual and fictional storytelling for the big and small screen, Ruth continues to enjoy a tempestuous love affair with the unpredictable, alchemic power of visual storytelling. Ruth has also been an avid participant in the Trailblazery since it’s inception and has embraced the unparalleled opportunities it has afforded her to explore storytelling across the spectrum.

Tom Creed is a theatre and opera director based in Dublin. His work has been seen at the major Irish theatres and festivals, across Europe and in the USA, Canada and Australia, most recently at the Paris Opera and BAM in New York. He was Festival Director of Cork Midsummer Festival from 2011 to 2013 and was nominated for an Irish Times Irish Theatre Award "for original and dynamic use of local spaces at Cork Midsummer Festival". He has previously been Theatre and Dance Curator of Kilkenny Arts Festival and Associate Director of Rough Magic Theatre Company.

Performance Artist, maker and sea swimmer. Her practice coexists between the solitary and collective realms seeking alchemical moments of stillness & ritual. Victoria has been inspired by The Trailblazery route from the very beginning as it continually meanders through the unexpected, the unexplored and the untapped aspects of our human experience. She creates with Macnas and The Trailblazery.