Our Team

Seamus has recently retired from Cork City Council where he headed up the Economic Development unit in the Strategic Planning and Economic Development section of Cork City Council with responsibility for advocating and promoting the city (and region) for FDI and indigenous growth with a focus on the development and integration of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem of the city and region with the key city stakeholders.

Seamus has a strong background in urban regeneration and economic development based on his experience of the last 21 years following 21 years in engineering consultancy. He was responsible for developing the initial infrastructure strategy of the Cork Docklands 1.0, which is now a key priority regeneration project for the city as Docklands 2.0. He was also lead on the development of the business plan and the economic planning for the Docklands area and the city.

He formerly led the development of economic relationships and collaboration with Sister cities of Shanghai, Wuxi, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen and is now supporting Local Authorities and businesses to develop economic ties with China. He is now a consultant supporting Ireland China Science and Technology Association (ICSATA) as a Senior Advisor.

Seamus, just prior to retirement, collaborated with the City Council Arts Officer in procuring and directing a consultant to complete a report on the Needs Assessment for the Arts and Culture sector in Cork which sets out the short, medium, and long-term requirements for the comprehensive development of the sector.

He has previously engaged with the Arts, Cultural, and Creative sectors through leading an EU project called Cult CreaTE which culminated in developing a cluster for the cultural and creative sector in Cork with participating organisations including Sample Studios which was branded STAMP and the successful creation of annual festival of the same name.

He now is delighted to join the Board of Sample-Studios to assist them in the journey of development of their organisation locally regionally and internationally.

Darius Whelan is a Senior Lecturer in Law in UCC. His research interests include Mental Health Law and Internet Regulation.  He is Director of UCC’s LLM in Intellectual Property and E Law.  Darius is co-founder of UCC's IT Law Clinic and a member of Creative Commons.  He is President of the Irish Mental Health Lawyers Association and Chair of UCC's Library Advisory Committee.  Darius is a past member of the national executive of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. He has acting and singing experience, and has written prose pieces for RTE's Sunday Miscellany and Tenx9 storytelling.

Dr Michael Waldron is a curator, educator, and researcher based in Cork, Ireland with an interdisciplinary background in literary criticism and art history. He is presently Curator of Collections & Special Projects at Crawford Art Gallery. He has previously lectured in English, Irish Studies, European Art History, and History of Art at University College Cork. He holds a PhD in English literature and has published on Irish artists John Hogan, Samuel Forde, Patrick Hennessy, John Noel Smith, Joseph Heffernan, John Rainey, and writer Elizabeth Bowen. He is on the editorial board of The Elizabeth Bowen Review. He has previously been co-investigator of The Samuel Forde Project (2012-14) and research assistant for Deep Maps: West Cork Coastal Cultures (2016-17). He has co-curated the exhibitions The Crawford at the Castle (2016-17) at Dublin Castle, and Samuel Forde: Visions of Tragedy (2014) and The Gibson Bequest 1919-2019: Selecting, Collecting & Philanthropy (2019-20) at Crawford Art Gallery. He is the curator of Deep Maps: West Cork Coastal Cultures (2017) at The Glucksman and several further exhibitions at Crawford Art Gallery, including Recasting Canova(2019-2022). He has also coordinated the events Living Artists in National Collections (2017) at Dublin Castle, ‘A Heart That is Free’: Terence MacSwiney in Context (2016) at Cork Opera House as part of Cork Midsummer Festival, and DUETS: Creativity in Context (2014) facilitated by REACT Knowledge Exchange Hub at Firkin Crane, Cork. Access and education is at the core of each of these projects and endeavours, whether it takes the form of teaching, interpretation, facilitation, or curation. He joined the Board of Sample-Studios in August 2021.

John MacMonagle is a member of Sample-Studios since 2017, a board member since 2018 and was appointed Company Secretary in 2022. In the 70’s he graduated with a B.A. from NIHE (now UL) and a H. Dip. from UCC. He later attended Crawford College of Art and Design and was a member of Cork Arts Collective and worked as an arts administrator with Triskel Arts Centre. In the 80’s he taught in a finishing school in Switzerland and worked as a designer with QuarkXpressfor in the US before he came back to Cork, in 1993 and set up Raven Design, a visual communication company, where he is Creative Director. When he grows up he wants to be a full time artist. "I am a mature visual artist, practicing in painting and mixed media collage with a strong interest in contemporary experiences and interpretations of outsider cultures and psychological otherness. The image of the Head or “portrait” as both timeless symbol of human identity and contemporary image of fractured psyche has been the main focus of my research. I have returned to art practice after many years in other creative industries, driven by my life-held interest in contemporary art. As well as developing a new studio practice, the complex poetics of rendering the image of the human experience continues to develop and hold my attention – alongside my exploration of new, found and traditional materials. Materials sometimes suggest an image or prompt the charge of expressive gestures in the work. What runs through and continues to fascinate me is the primacy of art, its psychological force and my relationships with it." - John MacMonagle

Dr. James O'Sullivan is an author, researcher and educator across various topics in the digital humanities and digital culture, specifically, digital literary and cultural studies, and computer-assisted criticism. He began a lectureship in the Department of Digital Humanities at University College Cork in July 2017, having previously held faculty positions at the University of Sheffield and Pennsylvania State University. He has also taught in an adjunct capacity at Cork Institute of Technology and Washington State University, Vancouver, and held visiting fellowships at NOVA University, Lisbon and Trinity College Dublin. Dr. James O'Sullivan is involved with a variety of digital projects, including the Cork Film Festival digital archive and Joyce Word Dictionary. He presently serves as the Director of DHSI Atlantic, sits on the Research and Innovation Committee for the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences at University College Cork. He joined the Board of Sample-Studios in November 2020. He became Chairperson in September 2023.

Sarah Jayne Booth is a Cork based multi-media installation artist whose work centres on domesticity, gender inequality and social histories. She has an MA in Art & Process from MTU 2014 and maintains an actively engaged practice with a number of solo exhibitions, bursaries and notable group exhibitions. She initiated and heads up the collective r. a. g. e (realising•absolute•gender•equality) alongside Dr Eve Olney, Fiona Ní Leíme & Dr Honor Tuohy, their recent zine publications are available on weragetogether.com. Upcoming group exhibitions: Rua Red Spring Open and The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon. In 2022 she created a new body of work (for) All Our Grievous Doings for a group exhibition Bones in the Attic at the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin. Also in 2022 The Arts Council of Ireland acquired This will not be Pretty for their collection. Other noteworthy achievements in 2021 include a project award from the Domestic Violence Network Cork for the ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign, it launched with a solo exhibition It’s still not Pretty in Triskel Arts Centre and Cork City Council Atrium. Also in 2021 she received an Arts Council Agility Award and a Bursary from Cork City Council which produced This will not be Pretty, an exhibition, performance and publication in collaboration with r.a.g.e. In 2020 she received Arts Council Professional Development Funding. She showed in three group exhibitions in 2019: I see crimson I see red, Cork, Cahoots A4 Sounds, Dublin and the Kinsale Arts Festival. In 2017 Diving the Wreck a collaboration with SoftTack was performed in UCC Cork, UCD Dublin and Lass Struggle UCL London. She’s had three other solo exhibitions at Signal Arts Centre, South Tipperary Arts Centre and the Bookcube Gallery and has been awarded residencies with 126 Artist–Run Gallery, Galway and Fire Station Studios, Dublin. She sits on the board of directors at Sample-Studios, Cork where she also holds a studio.

Jacqui Feely joined Sample-Studios Board of Directors in the role of Treasurer in March 2021. She is a highly experienced arts and finance professional bringing many years of experience to the role of Treasurer. She was formerly Head of Finance at Cork Opera House until December 2021. She has a strong affinity with and is an avid supporter of the arts and culture in Cork. She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Limerick and is a Certified Public Accountant. She brings over 30 years of experience in finance roles across various sectors in Ireland, the US, the UK and Germany. Feely has held many voluntary community roles, including with Kanturk Arts Festival where she presented her own poetry and plays. She works to support the behind the scenes work that ensures the sustainability of this important visual arts organisation.

Deirdre Corcoran is a strategic design leader with over 20 years of experience in brand strategy, design thinking, and creative innovation. As the founder and Creative Director of Chapter, Deirdre specialises in leveraging design to transform businesses, create memorable brand experiences, and drive engagement across multiple mediums—from digital and print to interiors and events.

Deirdre’s approach to design is rooted in strategy: she believes in getting to the core of each project, simplifying complex ideas, and crafting solutions that not only look beautiful but also resonate deeply and deliver real impact. Her expertise spans the entire creative spectrum, from conceptual development through to execution, all while keeping brand strategy at the forefront. She has led successful projects for clients including Trinity College Dublin, The Port of Cork, Irish Rail, SuperValu, Axis BIC, startups, and many SMEs, consistently delivering results that blend creative excellence with strategic depth.

A passionate advocate for lifelong learning, Deirdre recently completed a Professional Certificate in Service Design from NCAD, enhancing her capabilities in developing user-centred, innovative service experiences. She is also an active member of the design community, serving on the steering group of the Design Skillnet, where she helps shape the future of design talent and skills development in Ireland through strategic programme initiatives.

With a deep commitment to elevating Irish design on the global stage, Deirdre celebrates the heritage and talent of Irish creativity while continuously exploring future trends to keep her work innovative and forward-thinking.

Her career began with formative roles at the Irish Examiner, the Irish Independent, and the RTÉ Guide, where she developed her skills in storytelling and visual communication, contributing to impactful campaigns and gaining experience across diverse industries.