More than 50 people expressed interest in becoming new Arts Council director

Three people were shortlisted for high-profile role before Shona McCarthy secured job in August

More than 50 people expressed an interest in becoming director of the Arts Council before Shona McCarthy secured the role in August. Maura McGrath, the council’s chairwoman, said the organisation “received 53 expressions of interest” in the position, with three candidates progressing to the final stage after a “rigorous process of market mapping, screening, shortlisting and interviews”.

In a letter sent to Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan on July 24th, McGrath said there was a “clear consensus” that McCarthy was the preferred candidate, though the two other interviewees “were also considered appointable and of a very high calibre”. When asking for O’Donovan’s approval for the appointment, McGrath described McCarthy as “an experienced cultural leader with an outstanding track record of leading complex, high-profile organisations” in Ireland and the UK.

McCarthy was the chairwoman of the International Fund for Ireland and served as chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society from 2016 until last year. O’Donovan replied to McGrath on August 20th, giving his consent for the appointment “on a five-year fixed term contract basis”. He said officials in his department would engage with the Department of Public Expenditure regarding the contract. The correspondence was released following a Freedom of Information request.

McCarthy’s appointment came after almost 18 months of turmoil at the council, which revealed in February 2025 that it had spent €6.7 million on a defunct IT project. The failure of the project led to a backlash, as well as clashes with O’Donovan, who commissioned an independent review to scrutinise governance and culture within the council. The council’s former director Maureen Kennelly left last year after O’Donovan refused to sign-off on her request for a second five-year term. Management consultant Moling Ryan stepped in as interim executive director .

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