Expanding Visions of Irish Art and Creativity - Felicia Olusanya (FELISPEAKS) in conversation with Declan Buckley
June 23, 2021
Nigerian-Irish poet, performer and playwright Felicia Olusanya aka FELISPEAKS has captivated Irish and international audiences with her recent works. As someone who self-identifies as a queer black woman she is a champion of promoting diversity within Ireland’s cultural landscapes. This ‘in-conversation’ explores her ongoing artistic practice and considers how increasingly diverse Irish LGBTQ communities are expanding the creativity of the Irish arts scene.
Felispeaks is a Nigerian-Irish poet, performer and
playwright from Co. Longford. As well as being a member of Dublin City
Council's Culture Company Advisory Panel she is a member of the Board of
Members for Poetry Ireland. Felispeaks was nominated ‘Best Performer’
by Dublin Fringe Festival 2018 for her performance in ‘BOYCHILD’, a
co-written play with Dagogo Hart. The African Professional Network of
Ireland (APNI) recognised Felicia with a special award in 2017 for her
unique contribution to the Irish arts scene.
A familiar face and voice on Irish television and radio, Declan Buckley’s career began in the Dublin club scene of the 1990’s. As Shirley Temple Bar, Declan created the massively popular Bingo show in The George, Dublin, which introduced LGBTQ culture to wider audiences and has been entertaining audiences for almost 25 years. As the host of Telly Bingo on RTÉ1, Declan broadcasts to the nation three times a week and is also a weekly contributor on The Moncreiff Show on Newstalk. He is also a writer and a multimedia content creator. Declan’s parents are deaf and he is a lifelong advocate for deaf issues and Irish Sign Language. He is married and his husband thinks he has too many books.