On family, festivals and creativity …
Naoise Nunn has spent decades founding cultural festivals including Leviathan, Kilkenomics, Design Kenmare and the spoken-word MindField at Electric Picnic. He lives in his native Kilkenny with his wife Maria Schweppe, co-director of Schweppe Curtis Nunn, creators of events and festivals. He has two adult sons.
How would you describe your parents? My dad died ten years ago, but my mum is still very much alive, and full of energy. She was very young when she had me, so she’s still very young. She went into local radio in the early 1990s and only left in December 2024. My siblings are four and six years younger. She’s from Cork and her mother Maeve Curtis was a journalist for The Cork Examiner. My dad was English. He was born in Jamaica, where his father worked for the British colonial office in the United Nations. He was in boarding school from the age of four, which was very tough for him; he was probably dyslexic. He taught himself to make furniture and restore houses. He moved to Belfast in the 1960s and then bought an old 1792 watermill in Thomastown in Kilkenny. That’s where we grew up and where my mother still lives.
How do you see your parents’ influence in your later life? Both my parents were very good cooks, so we ate very well, even though we didn’t have a lot of money. Every evening at the dinner table, we’d sit for easily an hour, chatting. That was the biggest influence on my life, and it’s how my sons were brought up as well.
Did you like school? I went to the national school in Inistioge, which was good in parts. I was bullied a fair bit because I had a weird name and my accent didn’t quite fit, coming from a Cork mother and an English father. I wasn’t massively sporty, I was a bit of a loner and we were atheists. It affected me as a kid and still forms part of my character as an adult.
You went on to boarding school, did you enjoy that? I did my Leaving Cert at [Patrician College] Ballyfin in Laois, now one of Ireland’s most expensive hotels. It was good academically and I applied myself reasonably well. I grew into the independence. There was an ice house down by the lake, we used to go down there to play guitar and smoke joints.
What did you think you’d grow up to be? Because of my family history, I was always drawn towards diplomacy, the Foreign Office, notions of being an ambassador and then more realistic notions of being a journalist. I think I’ve managed to kind of dabble, to some extent, in both.
“From the start, there was very much a sense of joining the circus.”
When did you first realise you might make a life in festival-making? When we were kids, we used to do “The Muppet Show” for our parents. I was always Kermit, behind the curtains, pushing people forward. But the first real inkling I got was when I joined the Drama Society at Queen’s University and the Irish Student Drama Festival was held there in 1992. I found that I enjoyed producing and running the festival as much, if not more, than actually being in a play.
What was your professional breakthrough? I was home for Christmas in 1995 and my mother told me about The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival. She introduced me to the founder Richard Cook, and I started working on that seasonally from 1996 and ended up being artistic director later.
What is your biggest strength at work? I’m able to adapt quickly and pivot readily. I don’t get dragged into doom and despondency easily. As I get older, I’ve gotten better at just going, “This doesn’t work, let’s just leave it”.
Of which event are you most proud? Currently Design Kenmare because it’s the most recent and foremost in my mind. But I also love MindField and this is its 20th year. It’s hard to pick a favourite. Whenever I’m talking to people about making a festival, I ask them two things: “Who’s it for and why are you doing it?” If they don’t know, I won’t do it. And if they’re doing it to make money, then absolutely forget about it.
Your work is very sociable. When you are not working, do you seek solitude or not? After an intense period of leading into a festival, then the festival itself and a big wrap party, I need some quiet for a day or two. But then I want to go right back into it again.
“I get my energy from other people, their experiences, adventures and insights, and I need that every day.”
You’d like people to regard you as … Somebody who is creative and enables creatives, and can spark important conversations.
Your friendships are for the most part … More meaningful with age, but fewer in number.
Your most physically attractive feature is, in your opinion … My hair.
Your style signifier is … A John Rocha three-quarter length tweed coat.
What are your favourite shoes? I’ve been wearing Chelsea boots since I was 16. These days I wear runners a lot and I’ve just got a pair of Adidas Italia trainers.
What did you most recently read? Donal Ryan’s The Spinning Heart and Butter by Asako Yuzuki.
What did you most recently listen to? A lot of history and politics podcasts, as you might expect. “The Rest is…” shows. “The Daily” by The New York Times. Hugh Linehan’s “Inside Politics”.
What does your exercise routine include? Boringly, it’s now quite extensive. Two days in the gym on the stationary bike, then into the sauna and cold plunge. I also see a personal trainer twice a week.
Can you speak a foreign language? I can speak French to pretty good level. I want to get fluent in Spanish this year.
What do you cook at home? A great Ottolenghi slow-roasted shoulder of lamb shawarma. It’s basically like fast food, but it takes about three and a half days to make.
“If I could actually get out on a boat more, that would be the hobby. Currently, it’s aspirational.”
Do you have a hobby? I love boats. My family bought me a membership of the Royal Irish Yacht Club about two years ago. During Covid, myself and some pals did some courses – the powerboat courses, the VHF radio exams.
What would be your perfect weekend? Brilliant conversations with people who you love and you’re fascinated by. If you have that at the core, it can take many forms, but it would definitely involve good food, potentially cooked with friends, a long walk, more chats, a bit of a singsong and some dancing.
