Creative Director, Actor
Áine de Paor
Áine de Paor is a Dublin born woman who for decades has combined high school drama teaching with occasional work as an actor and performer. She has contributed to the ABC’s Poetica program and is one of the two voices on the Dictionary of Sydney’s Old Irish Walking Tour app. Áine has also worked with the Irish Consulate for many years on Cultural programs. The Prankqueans as a collective grew from the regular gatherings over many years by Áine of fellow artists to present programs celebrating Irish Australian literature, music and drama. Áine would curate evenings of music and spoken word of an Irish Australian feminist flavour at venues such as the State Library of New South Wales and Bondi Pavilion. Áine’s academic credentials include an honours education degree from Trinity College Dublin, a course work Masters degree in Theatre Studies from the University of New South Wales and an honours Masters degree (Research) from Sydney University. In 2022 Áine successfully concluded her PhD studies at the Department of Performance Studies, Sydney University with a thesis entitled, ‘Staging Ireland Down Under’. As a passionate Gaeilgeoir (Irish language speaker) Áine enjoys celebrating her native language as well as the strong bonds between Ireland and Australia through literary and cultural events that foreground the female. The performance entitled Brigid 2020 grew from this commitment as did the very successful 2021 Nollaig na mBan (Womens Christmas, an old Irish tradition) event held at Sydney’s Gaelic Club. The Prankqueans who feature in the work of James Joyce (another of Áine’s passions) seemed like an apt name for the group of musicians and artists that Áine has brought together to celebrate with audiences all that is Irish Australian and fabulously female.