I propose to take Questions Nos. 1523 and 1524 together.
Culture Ireland is a unit of my Department with responsibility for the promotion of Irish Arts internationally. In doing so, they work with Irish artists, international presenting partners and annually funded bodies to bring high quality Irish arts, across all artforms, to global audiences.
Culture Ireland is led by the Executive team, headed by the Director of Culture Ireland. This team, including the Director is comprise of civil servants from within my Department, with the Director reporting to the Assistant Secretary of the Culture and Arts Division within my Department. The team manages the day to day operations of the unit, including the administration of funding programmes, international promotional activities and strategic partnerships. The Executive is responsible for reviewing and completing application assessments, implementing policy objectives and ensuring that public funding is allocated in line with published criteria.
To support robust decision-making, the Executive works alongside an independent Expert Advisory Committee (EAC), which provides external oversight and advice on funding recommendations. This structure combines administrative expertise with independent artistic and sectoral knowledge, helping to ensure consistency and accountability in funding decisions. Applications for regular funding support are subject to assessment by the EAC. The EAC makes final recommendations to the Minister for funding approval.
The EAC includes senior representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Culture Communications and Sport, the Arts Council and Screen Ireland who serve on the Committee on an ex-officio basis. This interagency representation seeks to ensure complementarities and a whole-of-Government approach on international promotion. The other positions on this committee are filled by individuals with at least five years professional experience of working in the arts sector, and specialist knowledge of one of the art forms as defined in the Arts Act, 2003.
Membership of the Culture Ireland Expert Advisory Committee is as follows –
|
Name
|
Position
|
Term expires
|
|
Louise Donlon (Chair)
|
Director of the Lime Tree Theatre Limerick
|
Dec-26
|
|
Conor Falvey
|
Ex officio member, Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
|
|
|
TBC
|
Ex officio member Director of the Arts Council
|
|
|
Desiree Finnegan
|
Ex officio member Director of Screen Ireland
|
|
|
Eugene Downes
|
Ex officio member Director of Culture Unit at the Department of Foreign Affairs
|
|
|
Paul Johnson
|
Independent Dance Consultant (ex-Director of Dance Ireland)
|
May-29
|
|
Brendan McAleer
|
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
|
May-29
|
|
Nidi Zakaria Eipe
|
Author & Editor at Skein Press
|
Aug-26
|
|
Noeleen Hartigan
|
Independent arts consultant
|
Aug-26
|
|
Rosaleen Molloy
|
Director Music Generation
|
Aug-26
|
|
Helen Carey
|
Director National Sculpture Factory
|
Aug-26
|
|
Tom Creed
|
Independent Theatre Maker
|
Aug-26
|
|
Melanie Scott
|
Ex-Office nominee from the Association of Local Authority Arts Officers
|
May-29
|
