Notes from the Earth

BWMF presents Notes from the Earth, ft Mary Reynolds, Edwina Guckian, Colm O'Regan, Vincent Woods, Alannah Thornburg & Diarmuid Ó Meachair.

The 16th Annual Ballincollig Winter Music Festival 2026 proudly presents an evening of reflection and discussion around the theme of "Loving the Earth at a time of ecological crisis" featuring internationally acclaimed, much loved nature activist and reformed landscape designer Mary Reynolds; Multi-award winning dancer and community activist Edwina Guckian; critically acclaimed comedian, broadcaster, author and "Climate Worrier" Colm O'Regan; prolific writer and broadcaster Vincent Woods; award winning composer and instrumentalist from the wild West of Ireland Alannah Thornburgh; and Diarmuid Ó Meachair, TG4 Young Musician of the Year and 3 time RTE Folk Awards nominee.

MARY REYNOLDS

Mary is a reformed internationally acclaimed landscape designer who launched her career at the Chelsea flower show in 2002, the story of which was made into a 2016 movie called “Dare to be Wild”. Bestselling author, inspirational speaker, occasional television presenter and founder of the global movement “We are the ARK”, a practical groundswell movement that finally shifts the environmental game in nature’s favour. The time for gardens as canvases for our creative pleasure is over. Everything must change and if we are to save the planet, then we must start with our own patches of it. It’s time to re-imagine our work as gardeners, to become leaders in the race to save our beautiful planet, to save ourselves.

“I have come full circle with garden and landscape design. Now I want you to give any land under your care back to nature, to re-wild, to be ‘ARKed’ with Acts of Restorative Kindness to the earth.”

EDWINA GUCKIAN

Dancer Edwina Guckian hails from outside the village of Drumsna in Co. Leitrim. Coming from a family steeped in the tradition of music and dance, her style is greatly influenced by the style of local music she grew up with across Leitrim and Roscommon.

Having started teaching dancing at the age of 16, Edwina has now taught her steps and shared the stage with some of Ireland’s most influential acts. She set up Áirc Damhsa Culture Club for youths in her area to have a space to be immersed in traditions and cultures from home and all across the world in a fun and non – competitive environment. Now in its 20th year, the club has over 500 members in 9 counties.

In 2017 Edwina was awarded the Arts Council of Ireland Next Generation Bursary to support her work on redeveloping the connection between music and movement, musician and dancer.
Edwina is the artistic director of Leitrim Dance Project annually hosting events in the county such as Leitrim Dance Festival and the Effrinagh Crossroads Dance.

In April 2022, Edwina was awards the Gradam Comaoine TG4 for her outstanding contribution to culture. In 2023 she was selected for the Markievicz Award by the Arts Council and Department of An Taoiseach and in February 2024 Edwina launch her first book for children called ‘Sparks from the Flagstones’ – a treasury of Irish Folk Traditions and Calendar Customs.

COLM O'REGAN

Colm O’Regan is an award winning, critically acclaimed author comedian and broadcaster.

As a standup comedian, he has performed all over the world and has featured on RTÉ’s Late Late Show and on Comedy Central.

He has written and presents the multi-award winning RTE 1 Radio show Colm O’Regan Wants A Word since 2016. He is also is the creator of the twitter phenomenon @irishmammies with over 200,000 followers.

Colm is one of Ireland’s most in-demand after-dinner comedians. He also MCs awards ceremonies, corporate communications days and has acted as a panel moderator, bringing an entertaining touch to economics in Ireland, Europe and the USA.

He is the author of seven best-selling books with another one on the way - Gallivanting With Words, How the Irish Speak English.

His most recent book before that, Climate Worrier- was nominated for an Irish book award. He has since developed it into a touring show selling out venues to critical acclaim as well as adapting it as a keynote for companies and conferences.

He writes a weekly column for the Irish Examiner and has written regular radio and TV diaries for for RTE Radio 1’s Drivetime, BBC World Service’s In The Balance and scripted, presented and filmed reports for BBC World News’ Talking Business for three years.

Colm is also a voiceover artist for advertising and narrator for TV.

VINCENT WOODS

Vincent Woods is a writer and broadcaster whose plays include At the Black Pig’s Dyke and A Cry from Heaven; and several plays for radio. Poetry collections are The Colour of Language and Lives and Miracles. He co-edited The Turning Wave: Poems and Songs of Irish Australia, and Fermata: Writings Inspired by Music (with Eva Bourke).

Other publications are Leaves of Hungry Grass: Poetry and Ireland’s Great Hunger and Borderlines (with Henry Glassie). With Edwina Guckian, he co-directed and produced the film Bealach an Fhéir Ghortaigh/Hunger’s Way for Strokestown International Poetry Festival. He has been Writer in Residence at NUI Galway where he taught drama and creative writing.

He has scripted and presented many arts programmes and documentaries on RTÉ Radio 1 and is a regular contributor to Sunday Miscellany. Vincent directs the Iron Mountain Literature Festival in Leitrim and is a member of Aosdána.

ALANNAH THORNBURGH

Alannah Thornburgh is an award-winning instrumentalist and composer from the wild west of Ireland with a focus on traditional Irish harp. Alannah’s music explores her family heritage, reimagining melodies from the Irish harping and American folk & jazz traditions.

This cross-genre interaction and juxtaposition of old melodies with contemporary harmonies and technique is interwoven throughout her music, described as being ‘unforced, fluid and utterly at home in her own sound’ (The Irish Times).In February 2025, Alannah released her debut album ‘Shapeshifter’ - a collection of compositions inspired by fairy folklore & mythology in rural Ireland (“Sublime debut from Mayo composer” 9/10 - Hot Press). Alannah was awarded ‘Best Folk Instrumentalist’ at the 2025 RTÉ Folk Awards and she is the current Musician-In-Residence at Carnegie Library, Fingal County Council/Music Network.

Alannah featured on an RTÉ 1 Documentary ‘A Note for Nature’ in collaboration with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, performing her interpretation of a Conor Walsh composition ‘One Swallow’. Her compositions have featured on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta podcast series ‘Scéalta’ and RTÉ Radio Play ‘Clarity At Last’. In 2024, Alannah was awarded the Mayo Artist Bursary, the Harp Ireland Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency and the Music Network Lullaby Residency. Alannah is also a recipient of the Arts Council’s Next Generation Award 21/22. 

Alannah is a founding member of Alfi, a trio who combine traditional Irish and Appalachian music and song, winners of the 2020 US Embassy Creative Minds Award. Alfi released their debut album ‘Say Old Man’ in July 2023 to great critical acclaim - ‘the album captures the organic, full-bodied spirit of their live shows, as well as the distinctive personalities of the players – and marks Alfi as a vital force in Ireland’s ever-diversifying folk scene’ (Hot Press). Alannah is currently working on album number 2 with Alfi, due for release in 2026.

Alannah has also collaborated and recorded with an array of artists including Brían Mac Gloinn (Ye Vagabonds), Loah, Anna Mieke, Laura Quirke & Lemoncello, Lorcan Byrne, Conor Cunningham, Brigid Mae Power, Cathy Jordan, Ruth Clinton (Landless, Poor Creature), Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Shamrock Showband, Aoife Kelly & Jiggy, David Keenan, Grammy-nominee Tristan Scroggins, Niamh Bury, Aoife Scott, Gareth Quinn Redmond, Jamie Duffy & Varo. 

"…unforced, fluid and utterly at home in her own sound." - Irish Times

‘…awe inspiringly adept…‘ - The Bluegrass Situation

‘…a virtuoso…’ - The Lonely Highway

DIARMUID Ó MEACHAIR

Diarmuid Ó Meachair is a traditional Irish accordion and melodeon player from Cúil Aodha, Co. Cork, and is also a sean-nós singer. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious TG4 Ceoltóir Óg na Bliana (Young Musician of the Year).

Diarmuid currently teaches Irish traditional music at University College Cork and also teaches at Holy Cross University in Worcester, Massachusetts. He has performed with De Dannan internationally since 2022.

Over the past two years, Diarmuid has released four solo albums and he has been nominated for three RTÉ Folk Awards: Best Instrumentalist (2023 & 2024) and Best Emerging Artist (2023).