Siobhán Daffy

County
Dublin
Genre
Poet, Children's Writer
Sessions
Reading and Q&A, Discussion with Writer, Creative Writing Workshop
Age Group
7 - 10, 11-15, 16 - 18
Level
Primary, Post Primary
Availability

Mornings, Afternoons
Travel
Yes

Publications/Repertoire/Productions & Background Experience

Siobhán Daffy lives in the Dublin mountains with her husband, two teenage children and many pets. Her children’s novel No Ordinary Joe, inspired by her experiences growing up with a brother with special needs was published in 2021 by Little Island Books. She released Horses Hooves, a collaborative CD of spoken poetry & music in 2016. Her poems have been published in many journals and magazines. She enjoys performing spoken poetry with musical accompaniment and has been a guest at Poetry Ireland International Women’s Day, O’Bhéal, Cork, Electric Picnic and many other events.

Siobhán has worked as a creative arts facilitator for over 20 years with schools, community groups and arts organisations. She has worked with groups of all shapes and sizes including adults and children with physical and intellectual disabilities, marginalised and minority groups. In 2022 she was artist in residence in the Pearse Museum/St Enda’s Park in collaboration with Tallaght Community Arts, Creative Ireland and South Dublin County Council exploring responses to climate change through a poetic lens. Siobhán is an enthusiastic and personable educator, speaker and facilitator with a passion for creativity. She believes in the power of our creative self-expression to foster personal empowerment and social change.

Session Details

SAMPLE PLAN FOR SESSION WITH 9-12 YEAR OLDS:

Activities:

Introduction with simple warm-up exercises

Author reading with Q & A, interactive group discussion

Themes include:

  • Living in a family where one person has extra needs & it’s
  • a bit chaotic and messy.
  • Being expected to be extra responsible while you’re young
  • Difference, racism, and bullying.
  • Music/art and creativity – tools for expressing how you feel.
  • Metaphor in writing using objects from our everyday lives as inspiration
  • Publication and book-making

A short writing exercise using a real or imaginative idea for a story or poem/song OR

A collaborative writing exercise making a short poem/song together with rhythm or lyrical elements. (I play percussion/simple tuned instruments to facilitate this).

Learning outcomes – after the session, children will be able to:

  1. Identify key impacts of having a family member/relative with additional needs.
  2. Participate in an age-appropriate discussion about diversity and inclusion.
  3. Recognise how their own life experiences can be part of making up stories and how art//music/story writing can be a useful way to help with difficult feelings.
  4. Create a simple poem/song lyric/story

Age Group Details

7-12 for author visits, poetry can be more flexible and also include older groups.

Availability Details

Depends on the week/month. Currently Wednesday & Friday however this is changing and depends on the week/month. Availability limited if other work.

Telephone
087 4179710
Email
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Website
https://siobhandaffy.bandcamp.com/album/horses-hooves