Alisha Doody: Alisha is a young visual artist and activist living and working in Dublin/Leitrim, Ireland. Her practice is centered on issues relating to contemporary society and is focused on understanding how this relates to the personal. Utilising the interplay of medium and subject her working methods are fluid, meditative, including both analogue and digital photography as well as video. Her work has been shown in group exhibitions and she has undertaken a residency at Cow House Studios, Co. Wexford in 2016, as well as this she has also presented her work at the Lesbian Lives Conference, Brighton University, 2017. Her most recent work was inspired by the changing experiences both social and cultural, of lesbians across generations in Ireland and how important intergenerational communication can be to the construction of lesbian identity. This work has received honorable mention in the Inspirational Arts Award, 2017 and has also been longlisted for inclusion in the RDS Student Awards, 2017.

Hayley Fox-Roberts: Hayley Fox-Roberts is a poet, LGBT activist and creative facilitator: her wide
experience focuses on equality and inclusion. Her practice emphasises language as a tool for positive
change; a pert and provocative performance technique lends itself to a variety of settings and engages with a wide range of skill sets. Her experience in rural LGBT development includes establishing a ten-year Northwest LGBT Pride and as the first Regional LGBT Development worker in the Northwest and Border Counties of the Republic (LGBT Diversity, 2010-2012). Performances and workshops include Lesbian Lives conferences in University College Dublin and Brighton University (1999 – 2017); ‘Young, Rural and Queer’ at the CRiSP Youth Conference 2016 and the Wise Woman Weekend 2017. This present collaboration reflects her current direction in developing creative strategies for rural networking and action within dyke communities and is linked to her MA in Sexuality Studies (2017).

This is a multi-media presentation, delivered by the artist-activists. Participants are invited to witness the lived experiences of rural-dwelling lesbians in Ireland through film and poetry performances and through research conducted across the island of Ireland.The presentation
focuses on intergenerational learning and experience and the development needed to ensure that
lesbian learning is not lost due to geographic and social difficulties. The passing-down of
wisdom and herstories is challenged by these difficulties, and we seek to find ways to overcome
these challenges.

In conclusion, participants will be invited to discuss the themes reflected with a view to
sustainable networking and developing creative actions. Discussion will be led by the
presenters, and recorded for sharing with participants after the conference.