Our Team

Lynn is also Director of CircusWorks and President of EYCO – the European Youth Circus Organisation. She is an internationally renowned expert in circus and education, with a career spanning nearly 40 years. Lynn has performed globally as a multi-disciplined circus artist with some of the most pioneering contemporary circus companies, and has been at the forefront of developing the UK youth circus sector.

Becca has worked in the Circus, Street Arts and Spectacle world for over 15 years in project management, event production and European programmes. She previously worked at Out There Arts (UK) and their International Festival of Circus and Street Arts, before moving to Galway in 2018 to be the Producer for Europe’s largest participatory highwire spectacle – LifeLine.

With a BA in Music and an MSc in Marketing, Maeve previously developed marketing campaigns for a range of brands before working across development and production in the TV industry. Having grown up playing a variety of sports, Maeve was drawn to working in the youth and community circus sector as it combines her interests in the arts, physical activity and development.

After earning her Fine Arts degree in Belfast in 1986, Anet moved to Galway, where she pursued a busy career in the arts, working with Macnas and co-founding Galway Puppet Theatre Company. After qualifying in 2003 as a practitioner in The Feldenkrais Method of Awareness through Movement she offered movement pedagogy to artists and performers. In 2007, Anet also co-founded Earthsong Camps, a unique alcohol, drug, and electricity free space dedicated to celebrating music, song, dance and community. Anet loves working alongside the team at GCC and enjoys the challenges of working in a busy arts organisation.

Originally from Michigan, USA, Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and a Master of Fine Arts in Arts Management from Wayne State University in Detroit.

She has over 15 years of experience in arts communications and marketing, with a career spanning the United States and Ireland. Since moving to Ireland, she has worked with a range of arts organisations and local authorities, including Galway Community Circus, Macnas, Galway Culture Company, Galway City Council, Galway County Council. She specialises in social media, content creation, PR, media and communications campaigns, branding and storytelling, with a focus on bringing arts and culture projects to life.

Hazar began her circus journey in 2007 with the Palestinian Circus School and first connected with Galway Community Circus as a European Solidarity Corps volunteer in 2020. She is now thrilled to return as Outreach Coordinator, combining her love of circus with her passion for helping it grow and positively impact others.

Through her work with the Palestinian Performing Arts Network, Hazar has collaborated with a range of performing arts organisations, gaining rich experience across artistic disciplines. Outside of circus, she enjoys cooking, hiking, visiting weekend markets, and is currently working on a documentary film.

Alan is an award-winning creative producer and arts educator from Galway. He has over fifteen years of extensive experience in radio production, podcasting, and sound design. Lately, he’s been diving headfirst into the exciting world of street arts and circus as a freelancer producer.

Alan prides himself on his organisational and communication skills. He thrives in environments that require bold creative decisions, thorough research, and effective collaboration. He is open to engaging with new disciplines, new ideas and to connect and collaborate with diverse audiences and communities.

Alan completed the Future Producers course with Promenade in 2025.

He trained at Escola de Circ Rogelio Rivel in Barcelona and is a certified Gymnastics Ireland coach, specialising in funambulism – tightwire walking with a balancing pole.

From 2016 to 2020, Tony was one of four Irish artists selected to undergo advanced training in wire-walking instruction as part of Galway Community Circus’s Wires Crossed project. Through this initiative, he trained hundreds of participants in the transformative art of balance.

Tony is the Artistic Director of AcrophobiA Productions. He collaborates widely with Irish circus companies, including Fidget Feet, Loosysmokes, Circus Factory Cork and Tumble Circus. As a tutor, Tony combines his rigging expertise and performance experience to support artists in developing their skills in equilibristics.

Marjolein Wagter is a street performer, teacher, circus entrepreneur, and champion of youth circus work from The Netherlands. Founder of Compagnie With Balls, she has performed in over 30 countries, blending acrobatics, dance, giant puppets and training for professionals across Europe. Marjolein's artistry shines in signature acts such as The World Wanderer - a walking adventure atop a rolling globe, adaptable for school projects - and The Great Parade, featuring oversized balls and dancing ballerinas alongside giant marionettes. As a dedicated teacher, she has run weekly circus classes in Amsterdam for youth with learning disabilities and regular groups. A pioneer in social circus, she has frequently coordinated BIC-social trainings, developed balance workshops linking circus skills to behaviour awareness, and co-founded Amsterdam's youth circus 'DeCircusclub'. Her European projects like CATE, PEYC, and Umoja unite young artists from all over the world for masterclasses, exchanges, and shows.

For over 20 years, Lisa has used art, circus, and capoeira to help students realise the potential within themselves. Her journey began while studying Applied Social Studies in Social Care, when she took a placement with Macnas in 1998. Supporting social groups at the Galway International Arts Festival Macnas Parade, she discovered a passion for creativity, process, and the therapeutic value of making art - along with a love for sharing that knowledge with others.

After graduating, Lisa returned to Macnas as a Community Art Worker, maker, performer, stage manager, and drummer. It was through this work that she met Karin Wimmer, who persuaded her to help establish Galway Community Circus (then Galway Circus Project) in 2002. She worked on the project until 2004, while also collaborating with Macnas and Macteo (Arcana) for a decade.

In 2010, Lisa rejoined Galway Community Circus to assist with a Toddler Circus class and has continued teaching ever since. She leads weekly Toddler and Family Circus classes as well as many of GCC's Community Partnership Programmes, delivering workshops for asylum seekers, Foróige, Transition Year students, Traveller groups, and schools, and provides training for educators, including Girl Guide leaders, youth leaders, gym instructors, and students at GMIT and Castlebar. She has also facilitated weekly workshops for Rehab Care and Galway Autism Partnership, and leads the Circus Participation project, bringing children from direct provision together with peers for eight weeks of creative exploration through circus.

Alongside her circus work, Lisa has trained in the Brazilian martial art of capoeira for over 20 years, receiving one of the highest-level belts ever awarded to a European within her group of over 10,000 students worldwide. She has taught capoeira to children in Galway since 2012 and regularly facilitates workshops with Blue Teapots Theatre Company.

Freddy is a circus artist and trainer from Galway. He began his journey with Galway Community Circus at the age of 17 and soon decided to pursue circus professionally. After completing his Leaving Certificate, he was accepted into Codarts Circus Arts in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where he specialised in aerial straps and floor acrobatics. Freddy graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s degree in Circus Arts and went on to perform with various circus companies across Europe for two years.

In 2021, Freddy returned to Ireland and joined Galway Community Circus as a part-time tutor. Since then, he has expanded his qualifications to become a certified circus instructor, personal trainer, and strength and conditioning coach.

Pete Duncan is a freelance trainer at Galway Community Circus. As a Director of CircusWorks, the UK youth circus network and co-founder of Circus Eruption, Pete is a dedicated force in the UK circus education scene. As a freelance trainer with Co-Train, he delivers mentoring, training, and capacity-building support both online and in person, collaborating on a diverse range of creative and educational projects.

A familiar face at CircusWorks festivals, conferences, and Un-Conferences, he actively contributes to the growth and innovation of the youth circus community. His involvement spans across Europe, including leading roles in masterclasses and initiatives like the “Learner Centred Learning” project, which champions more inclusive and responsive teaching approaches.

In the UK, he brings expertise to local communities through partnerships with organisations such as the Circus House in Manchester, and the University of the Third Age - proving that circus is for everyone, at every age.

Originally from Tullamore, Co. Offaly, and now based in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Maríosa has a long and vibrant history with Galway Community Circus. She first arrived in Galway in 1996, where her work in ‘Strawberry Fields Diner’ introduced her to the city’s thriving arts and theatre scene. This led her to street performance as a juggler in the early 2000s, during which time she met Lisa and Karen and collaborated with them to establish Galway Community Circus.

As a founding member, Maríosa is proud and delighted to have returned to the organisation as a trainer after many years working as a performer across various areas of the entertainment industry. She later trained as a childcare practitioner, working at M&A’s Music and Art Montessori in Tullamore and Happy Days Preschool in Ballinasloe. She is also currently completing training as a Special Needs Assistant at Gaelscoil an Eiscir Riada in Tullamore.

A mother of two, Maríosa is passionate about creating an inclusive, supportive environment where all young people can discover and develop their circus skills.

Inés is a Spanish circus performer, musician, and educator who loves blending creativity, play, and inclusion. Her work brings together music, movement, and circus to inspire learning, self-expression, and connection. In 2023, she received an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland to create an interactive music and circus experience for children, exploring how rhythm, movement, and circus intertwine through play.

In addition to her work with Galway Community Circus, she also collaborates with Music Generation Galway City as a music educator and Aoife’s Clown Doctors, performing as a hospital clown at Galway University Hospital.

Her current projects include performing in “Creative Sensory Sessions” commissioned by Baboró (2025), designed for children with high support needs, and “Antarctica!”, an interactive show for neurodiverse youth with Rósán Adventures (2025), supported by Creative Ireland Touring 2025/26.

She is a multidisciplinary artist whose life goal is to employ art’s contagious creative power, giving people the itch to vocalise, move, and use their senses — but mostly to open their hearts to their own expression in its purest form. These people then become artists also, be it for a second, or for years to come.

Her passion for music and circus began at a young age, leading her to a commitment to involvement in the arts. Joanna studied Fine Arts at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels while simultaneously training in flying trapeze and clowning, blending visual and physical arts into a unique, expressive practice.

Her engagement in clown activism, led Joanna to use performance as a tool for social connection, bringing laughter and reflection into public spaces. She traveled for several years as a circus performer, prioritising the street and public space as her stage.

Currently, Joanna is studying Steiner pedagogy, at SWIM (Steiner Waldorf Inár Measc), to deepen her understanding of how to reach and inspire children and youth, continuing her lifelong commitment to awakening creativity and authentic expression in others.

Gill Byrne is an Irish circus artist specializing in dance trapeze, hula hoop, and fire performance, with a BA in Drama (Performance), and a deep background in dance, movement, and outdoor pursuits. Gill's involvement with circus arts began in 2016. She currently performs multi-hoop manipulation, aerial dance, and fire spectacles across Ireland.

Over 2023 and 2024 her work was focused on creating her first long-form piece "Working Load Limit"; while performing two solo dance trapeze pieces "Like Water", "Otherworld", and multi-hoop act "Hoopdeboop". She has performed in “Samhain Circus” and “Pyro Collective" with Broken Theatre, “HOUSE!" with Fidget Feet, and "Prologue" with Twisted Lane Productions . Her creative work is deeply inspired by connection to natural landscapes in an urban and digitalized society.

She has been kindly supported by the Arts Council, Irish Aerial Creation Centre and ISACS through funding and residency programmes. When not on stage, Gill can be found happily rigging for circus and large-scale events, or teaching aerial.

Elisa first came to Galway as a European Solidarity Corps volunteer in 2024.

Originally from Almería, Spain, she grew up surrounded by artistic influences through her family. She attended art school, earning her high school diploma in visual arts, and later moved to Granada, where she studied Fine Arts and completed a professional diploma in editorial and digital illustration. Julia went on to earn a degree in Art History from the University of Granada, which also gave her the opportunity to study for a year at the University of Stirling in the UK.

Professionally, Julia has worked as a cultural activities leader and as an English teacher at English immersion camps. She has also volunteered with the Red Cross and supported international student services at both her home and Erasmus universities. She is currently a full-time European Solidarity Corps volunteer with Galway Community Circus.

Originally from Corvallis, Oregon, USA, Laura is a graduate of the Instituto Nacional de Artes do Circo (INAC) in Porto, Portugal. Since completing her training, Laura has performed in cabarets, worked as a street performer, and toured with a traditional circus in The Netherlands.

Since moving to Ireland, Laura has expanded her skills as a stilt walker and performed with Macnas in their renowned Halloween parade. At Galway Community Circus, she continues to grow as both an artist and a teacher, connecting with the community through circus arts. Looking ahead, Laura hopes to keep developing her teaching practice, take part in more artistically inspiring productions, and ultimately realise her dream of creating a circus homestead in nature.