Keynotes
Keynote Addresses
In line with past Lesbian Lives conferences, we are organising a diverse programme of speakers for Lesbian Lives 2026. Additional speaker information will be posted here shortly but in the meantime please see below for our programme of keynote address and speakers this year.
| Day | Time | Description | Speaker(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, 15 May | 11.45-1pm | Keynote: Dating to be Ordinary: LGBTQ+ Lives in Primary Schools | Dr Aoife Neary (University College Cork) | Aula Maxima |
| Friday, 15 May | 5pm - 8pm | Authors in Conversation | Chloe Michelle Howard (Sunburn/Heap Earth Upon it) and Katherine O'Donnell (SLANT) | Aula Maxima |
| Saturday, 16 May | 11am-12pm | Keynote: Protected by Dykes | Karen Washington (Rise and Roots) with Lisa Fingleton and Rena Blake (The Barna Way) | Aula Maxima |
| Saturday, 16 May | 4.15pm - 6pm | Conference Closing and Final Plenary: How do we name and resist challenges? How do we name and bring forth our joys? | Illaria Todde, Grace En-yi Ting, Melissa Mora Hidalgo, Sambhavi Varadajan and Amy Hasset, chaired by Katherine O'Donnell | Aula Maxima |
Aoife Neary
Aoife Neary (BSc, MA, PhD) is Lecturer in the School of Education, University College Cork (UCC). She joined UCC in 2024, following ten years in the School of Education, University of Limerick, including as Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Education and Associate Dean Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Her research primarily explores LGBTQ+ lives in education contexts. Her current research, CLEAR: Children's LGBTQ+ Equality and Rights is funded by the Ombudsman for Children Office and is in partnership with Belong To LGBTQ Youth Ireland. In 2025, she was appointed as Associate Editor of the journal Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning. She has contributed to national curriculum development as a member of two National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) development groups, and since 2014 she has been leading and teaching teacher education modules that explore issues of social justice from a socio-cultural perspective.
Lisa Fingleton
Lisa Fingleton is an artist, writer and grower who has spent over twenty years cultivating deep-rooted connections between art, food and farming. Her projects incorporate socially engaged, collaborative and connections between art, food and farming. Her projects incorporate socially engaged, collaborative and performative process; participatory moving image; large scale drawing installations; as well as creative and autobiographical writing. Grounded on a nineteen acre organic farm and woodlands on the west coast of Ireland, she and her partner Rena Blake run an eco social arts project called "The Barna Way". From here they engage with the diverse community groups through social farming and live food and cultural events, while protecting habitats for wildlife. This project is propelled by an accelerated sense of urgency around food insecurity, the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and forced migration. Lisa is currently the Kerry Visual Artist in Residence and the embedded artist with "Brilliant Ballybunion", a Creative Climate Action Project managed by Creative Ireland. Brilliant Ballybunion supports the community to be creative, grow food and protect biodiversity, all at the same time. The project was recently showcased at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Her book "The Local Food Project" explores the power of growing and eating local food in the context of climate change and biodiversity loss. Lisa has MA in documentary film (Goldsmiths College, London) and a degree in Fine Art (NCAD). Her work is in the National and State collections of Ireland.
Rena Blake
Rena was the co-founder of the The Rising Café in Park Slope and now runs The Barna Way, a biodiversity and creativity hub in Ballybunion, Co. Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland. As a photographer she is particularly in interested in wildlife and social documentary photography. She is one of the lead partners and photographer with "Brilliant Ballybunion", a creative climate action project supported by Creative Ireland.