Voices of the festival
See details of the speakers already confirmed for this year's festival.
Judge David Barniville is President of the High Court of Ireland and a member ex officio of the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, and the Council of State. Appointed to the High Court in 2017 following nearly three decades as a barrister and Senior Counsel, he has since held key judicial leadership roles, including Arbitration Judge, head of the Commercial Division, and member of the Court of Appeal. He served on Ireland’s National Group at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague (2018–2025) and was appointed to the ICC’s Governing Body for Dispute Resolution in 2024. Judge Barniville has held numerous national and international leadership positions across the judiciary and legal profession, including Chair of the Council of the Bar of Ireland and the IBA Judges’ Forum. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Limerick and University of Galway.
Stephen Collins is a Senior Solicitor with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. He has led on a number of high profile initiatives to address systemic discrimination and human rights violations in Irish society mainly in the areas of intercultural issues and disability rights. In particular he advised and represented IHREC in winning bank accounts and driver licences for asylum seekers and refugees and in ensuring that the voice of the Ward be heard in Ward of Court proceedings. He continues to advance the rights of vulnerable people and marginalised communities through innovative use of strategic litigation, including on behalf of members of the Traveller community.
Rosemary Hennigan is a writer and former solicitor based in Dublin. A Fulbright Scholar, she holds an LLB from Trinity College Dublin and an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania. She began her legal career in litigation at McCann FitzGerald and has also worked in research and policy roles with the Irish Refugee Council, Focus Ireland, and Tuath Housing. Rosemary is the author of two critically acclaimed novels: The Truth Will Out, longlisted for the Crime Writers Association’s John P. Creasy Award, and The Favourite, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was named Book of the Month by Eason and Apple Books. Her third novel, The Hotel Guest, will be published in Spring 2026. She serves as a director of the Irish Writers Centre.
Daren Jacobs is a performer and leadership development specialist with a background in philosophy, focusing on mind, cognition, and creative thought. For over 30 years, he has designed and delivered experiential leadership programmes worldwide, drawing on stories from history, literature, and the arts. Daren is a regular guest presenter at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, where he teaches on the Oxford Advanced Leadership Programme and executive education programmes. His clients include global organisations such as Microsoft, Rolls Royce, Airbus, Amazon, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz. Working as a freelance keynote speaker, coach, and facilitator, Daren brings performance insight and storytelling to the heart of leadership and communication.
Claire Keegan is one of Ireland’s most celebrated writers, acclaimed for her masterfully crafted short fiction. Her work has received numerous international honours and is translated into over thirty languages. Her debut collection Antarctica won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and was named a Los Angeles Times Book of the Year. Walk the Blue Fields won the Edge Hill Prize, and Foster, winner of the Davy Byrnes Award, is now part of Ireland’s school syllabus and inspired the Oscar-nominated film An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl). Her novella Small Things Like These was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. Claire studied literature and politics in New Orleans and holds advanced degrees from the University of Wales and Trinity College Dublin. A member of Aosdána, she lives on the Wexford coast.
Jeanne is a founding partner of Browne Jacobson’s first international office in Dublin. Jeanne has over 25 years’ experience including leading a commercial tech practice where she advised private and public sector clients on technology, intellectual property and data privacy law. She has led data protection compliance programmes for some of Ireland’s leading corporates, as well as for multinationals with Irish operations. She has extensive experience in large outsourcing projects, supply arrangements and intellectual asset management. She is also ranked as a leading individual in tech (legal 500 2024) along with TMT and IP (Chambers Europe 2024) and Data Privacy (Lexology Pro 2025).
Professor David Kenny is a Professor in Law and Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, teaching Irish and comparative constitutional law, critical legal theory, and law and literature. His latest book, combining law, literature, and philosophical pragmatism, was published by Routledge in 2025. His office used to be Samuel Beckett's bedroom.
Ciara is an Assistant Chief State Solicitor in the Chief State Solicitor’s Office. She is a member of the CSSO’s Management Board and Head of its Commercial and Employment Law Division. This specialist Division is composed of solicitors who are experts in their respective fields of Commercial Law, Public Procurement Law and Employment Law. Prior to joining the CSSO in 2016, Ciara practiced in a leading Irish commercial law firm where she specialised in financial services law and regulation. During this time, she also spent periods on secondment with international financial institutions in Dublin and London. Ciara holds a Bachelor in Civil Law (International) from University College Dublin and a Masters in Law from Trinity College Dublin. She qualified as a solicitor in 2006.
Tom Noonan is Chief Operations Officer at RDJ, where he oversees finance, IT, HR, and operations across the firm’s three offices. With over 35 years of experience in finance and general management, Tom plays a key role in RDJ’s growth strategy and operational excellence. He serves on the firm’s Management Committee, leads its ESG team, and is a member of the Risk Committee. Before joining RDJ in 2015, Tom held senior roles in the food ingredients sector with companies including Biocon, Unilever, ICI, and Kerry Group. He holds a B.Comm from University College Cork, an MBA from the Open University UK, and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He also holds a CPD Certificate in Corporate Sustainability and ESG from IBEC/TU Dublin.
She completed her traineeship in McCann FitzGerald Solicitors and practised in employment law with Daniel Spring & Co. Solicitors for three years post-qualification. She has also worked with Front Line Defenders and has been involved in activism and community engagement throughout her career.
Jane specialises in employment law and equality law, and has experience in housing law, social welfare law as well as other diverse areas. She represents clients in the WRC and in the Courts, delivers community education and training, and works in law reform and policy, particularly in the area of access to justice.
Additional speakers and performers will be announced in the coming weeks.