Meg Bateman was born in Edinburgh. She studied Celtic at Aberdeen University and completed a PhD in medieval Gaelic religious poetry. She then went on to teach Gaelic at the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Her Gaelic poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies such as Other Tongues (1990) and Twenty of the Best (1990). Her 1997 collection Aotromachd agus dàin eile/Lightness and other poems movingly deals with the fragility of love and human relationships. She lectures at Sabhal Mór Ostaig, Scotland's only Gaelic college, on Skye.

Paddy Bushe was born in Dublin in 1948. A poet who writes in both English and Irish, he has published many poetry collections, the most recent of which is To Ring in Silence  (Dedalus Press, 2007).The recipient of the Oireachtas prize for poetry in 2006, Paddy Bushe was also the recipient of the 2006 Michael Hartnett Poetry Award. He lives in Waterville,Co. Kerry. He is a member of Aosdána.

Gabriel Fitzmaurice was born, in 1952, in the village of Moyvane, Co. Kerry, where he still lives. For over thirty years he taught in the local  primary school from which he retired as principal in 2007.  He has published more than forty books, for both adults and children. He has been described as "the best contemporary, traditional, popular poet  in English" in Booklist (USA), "a wonderful poet" in the Guardian, "one of  Ireland's favourite poets" in Books Ireland, "Ireland's favourite poet for  children" in Best Books and "the Irish A.A. Milne" by Declan KIberd in the Sunday Tribune.

Sorcha Fox trained in the Samuel Beckett Centre in Trinity College. She is an actor and chief storyliner for the TG4 drama serial, Ros na Rún. In 2004 she directed the critically acclaimed and nominated Jimmy Joyced! for the Bloomsday centenary. In 2005 she performed in Donal’s  two-hander The Cambria about Frederick Douglass’ journey to Ireland in 1845. The Cambria has just returned from a sellout run in New York. Sorcha developed and performed in Donal’s critically acclaimed play Vive La! in the Project Theatre in 2008.

Janet Harbison has been a prominent figure in Irish musical life and harping for over 35 years.  She is the founder and director of the Irish Harp College, the Irish Harp Orchestra, and is an active recitalist, teacher, composer and producer of large-scale stage productions of contemporary Irish music, song and dance. She has collaborated with and composed for the Chieftains, James Galway and Brian Kennedy.   She has played in concerts with her orchestra in many of the world’s most prestigious venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Boston Symphony Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Centre, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Dublin’s National Concert Hall and many of Europe’s Philharmonic concert halls and state theatres.

Rónán Ó Snodaigh, gardener, road builder, rambler, the Kila front man and vocalist has revolutionised the way the bodhrán is played with his innovative technique. He also plays an arsenal of other percussion instruments. A founder member of Kíla (formed Oct. '87), Rónán is an accomplished prize winning poet in both Irish & English adding rhythm to his oration helped formed his percussive chant- like singing style. His unique bodhrán style has often been likened to talking drums and tablas'.

'Obi Wan' Colm Ó Snodaigh originally qualified as a physiotherapist before his true musical vocation took hold of him. Colm joined Kíla in 1988. He qualified and was a practicing physiotherapist, a sports journalist, league of Ireland soccer player and board manager until 1997. Colm has written a book of short stories, recorded a solo album and is still working on his second album. He has written scores for film, theatre and dance companies.

Eoin Dillon was a cabinet maker by trade before he began making uilleann pipes Eoin also plays whistle low and high. A founder member of Kíla and the world’s first pipe psychologist, Eoin also taught woodwork on Tory Island and during his apprenticeship with Cillian O Briain (pipemaker) who made his present set of uileann pipes. Eoin has held his own sessions up and down the country and has worked with Hector Zazu, Manus Lunny, Jane Sibery and has played on most of the film, theatre scores recorded by Kíla.

Ishbel Mc Askill comes from the Point area of the Island of Lewis. Her particular style of unaccompanied traditional singing, her numerous radio and television performances and countless world-wide live appearances have established her position as probably the best international known Gaelic singer today. She has performed at festivals throughout the world and has had many repeat performances at Europe’s largest folk festival Celtic Connections in Glasgow and the prestigious Canadian Celtic Colours Festival in Cape Breton. Edinburgh International Festival Fringe has awarded her exceptional Yve star reviews and she was the Yrst Scottish Gaelic singer to appear at the North American Folk Alliance in Memphis. She spent several weeks performing at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and has made many other US appearances.

Barry McGovern is a former member of both the RTE Players and the Abbey Theatre Company. Last year he toured all thirty-two counties with the Gate Theatre’s ‘Waiting for Godot’.   His one-man Beckett show ‘I’ll Go On’ has toured worldwide. TV appearances include ‘Dear Sarah’, ‘The Treaty’, and ‘The Tudors’. Films include ‘Joe Versus the Volcano, ‘Far & Away’, Braveheart’, ‘The General’ and ‘Waiting for Godot’.   He has just finished filming ‘Na Cloigne’ a new film for TG4. His recording of the Beckett novels ‘Molloy’ ‘Malone Dies’ and ‘The Unnameable’ is available from RTE. Barry has appeared in plays by some of Ireland’s best known authors, including Brian Friel, Marina Carr, Eugene McCabe, Vincent Woods, Michael Harding and Tom Murphy.

John McNamee has made his mark on the Dublin poetry scene where, since, he organised “Out to Lunch” readings for all of Irelands best known poets, in the Bank of Ireland Centre and in the Irish Writers Centre. He has written for many publications including The Irish Times, The Sunday Business Post, The Furrow, The Examiner, The Phoenix and The Big Issue. He has published 11 volumes of poetry and has featured on many television and radio shows in Ireland, England and Canada.

John  Minihan is a man of great passion – a passion for literature, but above all a passion for photograpy. Famous for his pictures  of Beckett and Joyce he has been taking photographs of Irish literary figures since the sixties. Born in Dublin in 1946, Minihan was raised in Athy from the age of four months until he was 11. At the age of 11, he went to live in London, leaving school to work as an office boy at the Daily Mail, where he began his career as a photographer. He won The Evening Standard amateur photography competition at the age of fifteen and became the youngest ever staff photographer in the history of the newspaper. He continued to visit Athy, documenting the life of the town over twenty years. His portfolio includes many well known people from the world of music and the arts such as FrancisBacon, The Beatles, The Who and Andy Warhol.

Micheál Ó hUanacháin, writer and broadcaster, was born in Dublin in 1944. Is craoltóir agus iriseoir le fada é le RTÉ, agus chaith sé trí bliana ar iasacht ag an Aontas Craolta Eorpach. Bhí sé ina Eagarthóir ar an iris chlúiteach Comhar faoi dhó, sna 70dí agus arís 2002-7. Ta sé ag scríobh filíochta ó bhí sé ina dhéagóir, agus sé cinn de chnuasaigh dánta atá tagtha uaidh go dtí seo an ceann is déanaí ná Damhsa Rúnda, Coiscéim 2008. D'fhreastal sé ar chomhdháiltí éagsúla filí, ina measc leithéidí Poetry International Rotterdam, Féile Ovidius na Rómáine ar bhruach na Mara Duibhe, agus Seachtain Scríbhneoirí Bhéalgrád.

Cathal Ó Searcaigh was born in Donegal and lives at the foot of Mount Errigal. His collections of poetry include Homecoming/An Bealach 'na Bhaile (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 1993); Na Buachaillí Bána (Lagan Press, 1995); An Tnúth leis an tSolas (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2001), for which he received 2001 The Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for the Irish language; and Gúru i gClúidíní (Cló Iar-Chonnachta, 2006). He has been awarded the Seán Ó Riordáin Prize for Poetry in 1993 and the Duais Bhord na Gaeilge in 1995. He is a member of Aosdána.