About the Kids’ Own Team

Kids’ Own has a core team of four staff who are committed to delivering on the vision and mission of the organisation. The team has a range of expertise across visual arts, literature, academic, digital media and education fields of practice. Kids’ Own also has a panel of freelance practitioners who support our work in the areas of finance, design, communications and video editing.

Ciara Gallagher

Creative Director

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Ciara has worked as researcher on children’s books projects including the National Collection of Children’s Books at Trinity College Dublin, and “Gender Identity: Child Readers and Library Collections” at the Centre for Children’s Literature and Culture, Dublin City University. She is the co-editor of the volume Constructions of the Irish Child in the Independence Period 1910-1940 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Ciara has worked with the Museum of Childhood project, and helps to run a small charity, Providence Education, which supports Providence school in north-east India. She has also taught in a number of universities in Ireland and has worked in various administrative positions in the non-profit and public sector.


Emma Kavanagh

Operations Manager

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Emma graduated from NCAD in 2004 with a Bachelor of Design specialising in Metalwork. In 2009 she earned an Honours Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Policy & Practice at the National University of Ireland, Galway and since then has been working in the professional arts and cultural sector. Emma has a passion for community and educational arts practise and has worked on a variety of projects with Sligo Arts Service, Culture Night Sligo, Forum Theatre, RAPID, Primary Colours Sligo and The Model. Through this work, Emma also discovered a keen interest in digital media and technology which led to her role as a Digital Media Executive with Bua Marketing and OSD Digital Agency. Becoming a member of the Digital Supports Consultants Team for Fáilte Ireland, where she mentored several arts venues and festivals, assisting them in growing their digital presence. Since joining Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership in 2016, Emma has been involved in the management and development of the Arts in Education Portal (www.artsineducation.ie) on behalf of the Portal Editorial Committee. Stepping into the lead role of Digital Content Manager in 2018, Emma has focused on building online and offline space through the Portal where artists and teachers working collaboratively with children and young people within education can be supported and inspired. Emma has also led the management of the annual National Arts in Education Portal Day conference 2018 – 2022. In her current role as Operations Manager with Kids’ Own, Emma works alongside the CEO and Creative Director, supporting the smooth running of operational activities. Emma is excited to work with the Kids’ Own board, team and associate artists in this new role.

 


Lorna Kavanagh

Project Manager

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Lorna is a native of Sligo and, after a few years living away, is delighted to be back in the West of Ireland. In a previous life, Lorna trained to be a potter at Grennan Mill, Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny with The Crafts Council of Ireland and also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Art Ceramics from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway.  A Graduate Diploma in Community Art and Education from The National College of Art and Design, Dublin cemented Lorna’s passion for education within the arts. After working with The Model, Sligo and Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane as an Education Assistant, Lorna moved on to Rua Red Arts Centre, Tallaght, Dublin 24, where she was Education Executive for some years. Creating a space where the arts are accessible is an important factor for Lorna. Within her role as Project Manager, Lorna works alongside the Director to devise, plan and facilitate dynamic projects that engage all communities of young people. Lorna also has a grá for cheesy reality TV, mint dark chocolate and a strong cup of tea!


Edel Doherty

Arts in Education Portal Manager

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Edel is a native of Sligo and after a period living first in Leeds, and then Cork, returned in 2014. She has worked between various roles in the public sector and the arts. Edel has been involved in many projects and collectives over the years wearing many different hats along the way. Her background is video and photography which was nurtured in the DIY arts scene of Leeds. While there she co-founded miniciné Community Cinema and in the process of running the monthly film nights started creating posters and a website for the club. Since then, she has been designing websites, crafting graphics and producing live events. She is a committee member of the Sligo Film Society and co-director of Spilt Milk Festival and community print studio Pulled.


Lorna Golden

Marketing and Communications

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Originally from London, Lorna moved to Sligo in 2011 to join her family who all hail from there. Lorna’s background is in photography, where gig and band photography was a main influence but she also has a strong passion for portraiture. She worked as a content creator for Sligo Hub for a number of years, promoting all that is great about Sligo, before starting with Kids’ Own in 2023.


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