Carnegie Conversations. Examples of Programming in Academic Contexts
In 2025 Sarah through IADT’s Planning and Strategy Office introduced the Carnegie Conversations series, a programme of events designed to connect IADT’s communities with leading experts across a wide range of fields, hosted both on campus and at Carnegie Library in Dun Laoghaire Town Centre. These multidisciplinary events welcomed influential voices from the worlds of Culture, Business, Community, Sustainability, Social Inclusion, and the Arts. These conversations, aimed to reflect and support IADT’s strategic goals by fostering collaboration across the organisational strengths in the creative arts, creative technologies, and creative business.
Team; Sarah Searson, Deirdre Geraghty with audio by Shea Fitzgerald
Tania Banotti, Director of Creative Ireland, in conversation with Dr Linda King.
Together, they’ll explore Tania’s career journey, her leadership in Creative Ireland, and the ambition and achievements of this ground-breaking national programme. Since its establishment in 2017 (and renewal in 2023), Creative Ireland has become one of Ireland’s most ambitious all-of-government culture and wellbeing programmes. Dr Linda King is an historian and educator, and a specialist in analysing Irish design and visual culture as social and cultural history. She is Senior Lecturer in Design History and Visual Culture at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dublin.
Ger Corbett, CEO of Sandyford BID in conversation with Dr Audrey Stenson
Sandyford Business Improvement District is home to some of the world’s best-known and most influential companies. Sandyford BID has almost 1,000 members who together employ over 26,000 people and include companies like Microsoft, Mastercard, Vodafone, SSE Airtricity, AIB, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Google. Ger Corbett leads the company’s strategic objectives collaborating both nationally and internationally across industry, academia and public administration to deliver Sandyford BID’s vision. Dr Audrey Stenson is the Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship at IADT. Audrey holds a PhD in Psychology, has led a European project in Business and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, EDIFY EDU, and 25 years’ experience in lecturing and research in the fields of business, technology, psychology, and EDI.
Randal Plunkett, Dunsany Nature Reserve, in conversation with Clyde Doyle IADT
A conversation with filmmaker and conservationist Randal Plunkett, the founder of the Dunsany Nature Reserve, who has transformed his historic family estate in County Meath into one of the country’s most ambitious rewilding projects. In a time of biodiversity loss and environmental crisis, Randal made the radical decision to return much of his 1,600-acre estate to nature, removing intensive farming and allowing ecosystems to regenerate. Today, Dunsany Nature Reserve has become a thriving sanctuary for native plants, wildlife and pollinators, offering a living example of how landowners can reimagine their role as custodians of the environment.
Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the Irish Prison Service with Dr Tina Kinsella
IADT’s Dr Tina Kinsella in conversation with Caron McCaffrey, Director General of the Irish Prison Service where she reflects on leadership, change, and the role of education in shaping the future of justice in Ireland. The discussion offers a rare insight into the human realities of the prison system and the possibilities for building a more inclusive and forward-looking society. Director General Caron McCaffrey is responsible for the leadership, management, and strategic direction of the Irish Prison Service (IPS), which operates 13 prisons and employs over 3,500 staff with an annual budget of €525 million. Dr Tina Kinsella is a scholar and academic leader specialising in contemporary art practice, visual culture, gender studies, and feminist theory. She currently serves as Head of Research at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland.
Culture Night, 2025 Dr Michael Murphy
Michael Mary Murphy will explore the venues, bands and people that made Dún Laoghaire’s night life vibrant and exciting over the years. An inspiring evening at the historic Carnegie Library, Dún Laoghaire, as we dive into the vibrant legacy of music in Dún Laoghaire and its cultural impact across generations.
From David Bowie’s first appearance in Ireland (in a Dún Laoghaire TV studio), to shows by punk bands including the Clash, the Jam and the Damned, and ear-splitting performances by Nirvana, Metallica and the Jesus and Mary Chain, this event highlights Dún Laoghaire’s surprising place in rock history. Jeff Buckley’s first international performance was in Deansgrange! Discover the journeys of local artists like The Boomtown Rats and Sinéad O’Connor, who rose from DLR neighbourhood’s to achieve global fame.
IADT Open House Dublin 2025
IADT is welcoming visitors to explore two of its most distinctive spaces: the Digital Media Building and the Carnegie Library in Dún Laoghaire.
Elliott Ballam, Architect Associate Director at BDP, guided visitors on an insightful tour of the Digital Media Building, the newest building on the IADT campus. Visitors were invited o discover how the building was designed to allow students and staff to push the boundaries of media, technology and storytelling.
In contrast, people enjoyed a guided tour of the Carnegie Library and it beautifully restored architectural features. The tour, led by Gerard Bourke, Senior Architect DLR, will also include background history about Andrew Carnegie and the evolution of libraries in Dún Laoghaire. Through guided tours and special events, Open House at IADT will showcase the unique character of our campus – from cutting-edge digital environments to treasured heritage spaces and highlight the dynamic intersection of past, present and future at the heart of our learning community.
