Join us for a restorative walk of Rest & Play surrounded by trees, birdsong and the Sugar Loaf Mountains surrounding Belmont Demesne,  Bray Co. Wicklow, seeking to capture a 'restorative return to school' with the goal of fundraising for two charities: Build for the Boys  and Pieta House.

Our intention is to gather the RP community in a way that allows us to live and embody RP not just talk about it. Our 5k walk through the forest offers opportunities to observe what nature has to teach us about relationships and our interconnectedness, to explore our own inner landscape, and to ‘walk’ through questions in community.

Build for the Boys:  In aid of two boys Conor and Dean who are living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare, progressive and fatal muscle-wasting condition. Our event will support the ‘Build for the Boys’ trust to create a house adapted to meet their growing needs.

Pieta House:  Pieta exists because of the needs of the people of Ireland. Pieta has been able to provide free counselling, therapy and support to these people in need. They have one common goal where no-one should feel so alone or so afraid that suicidal ideation or self-harming becomes an option they choose. This year we want to raise funds to support this service.

All proceeds from ticket sales will be shared equally between our two designated charities.

We are thrilled to announce our two inspiring speakers for this year's Connect RP Conference:

Dr. Deirdre McGillicuddy

Will speak about 'Resting and Restoring Self through Educaring from the Heart'.

Dr Deirdre McGillicuddy is Assistant Professor in UCD School of Education, a primary school teacher and mum of 3 who is passionate about education. ​Deirdre has 25 years experience in education, working as a teacher in a DEIS school and as a lecturer/researcher in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) contributing to programmes at early childhood, primary and post-primary level. She is passionate about social justice and equality, with particular interest in pedagogy, child rights/voice and wellbeing in/through education, embedding it very much at the heart of her work as educator. ​Her newly-published book, Educaring from the Heart, How to Nurture Your Wellbeing and Rediscover Your Purpose in Education, provides a template for those working across education step back and take time to rediscover, renew and rejuvenate themselves with compassion and curiosity.

Comedian AI Porter

Will share his insights on one of the principles of RP in Education 'Accountability Exists in a Supportive Environment'.

Al Porter is a comedian and writer from Tallaght. He is an IFTA Award winner and one of few Irish comics ever nominated for the Oscar of comedy, the Perrier Award in Edinburgh, joining the likes of Tommy Tiernan and Dylan Moran. After early success from 19 to 23, in 2017, Al's life fell apart as he faced the consequences of being called out on his problematic behaviour. After learning many hard lessons very publicly, six years on, his new theatre show 'Now' was critically acclaimed as he reckoned with that complicated past publicly and detailed his sobriety, experience with counselling and reflected on the long road to recovery that he is still on. He is currently the writer, director and star of the 3Olympia family panto every Christmas, a new stand up tour, and stages his debut play nationally, a comedy-drama about modern family life in 2026, called The Kavanaghs. Al continues to search for ways to speak about his story with humility, understanding the discomfort it can create, and to explore how to continue to improve, change and grow with integrity. His is a cautionary tale and also an insight to recovery in progress and an openness to listening and engaging in difficult conversations about failing as a human and bouncing back.