A WELL-known Donegal woman has been appointed as the new Director of the Arts Council, it has been announced.
Ardara woman Orlaith McBride will leave her current job as director of the National Association for Youth Drama. She will take up her new role in September, replacing Mary Cloake.
From Ardara, Co Donegal, Ms McBride was an Arts Council board member from 2003 until earlier this year, and has established her reputation through youth and community arts.
A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, she holds post-graduates in Arts Administration from University College Dublin and in Drama-in-Education from the University of Ulster.
She has spent many years working in the arts within the areas of local authorities, community arts, youth theatre and drama-in-education.
She held the post of Arts Officer in the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) for four years, co-ordinating the National Youth Arts Programme where she developed ‘ Arts in their Lives’ a policy on young people and the arts in Ireland as well as the developing the first strategic plan for the development of youth arts in the NYCI.
Ms McBride’s previous experience with the Arts Council was described as an advantage by chairwoman Pat Moylan.
“As a former member of the Arts Council, she has a tremendous strategic insight into the challenges the organisation faces,” she said.
“At this time of economic challenge and creative opportunity, she will play a pivotal role in both the leadership and management of the Arts Council and will facilitate the delivery of the organisation’s strategic objectives to enhance Irish cultural and artistic life.”
Among those challenges will be the continued cuts in arts funding. Its budget was reduced by 5 per cent to €65.2 million in the 2010 Budget, and while its recent allocation of that money was less controversial than anticipated, several established arts groups had funding cut significantly or removed altogether.
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