Shona McCarthy Named Arts Council Ireland Director as Culture Ireland Announces €890,000 Global Arts Funding

Shona McCarthy Named Arts Council Ireland Director as Culture Ireland Announces €890,000 Global Arts Funding

Shona McCarthy, a native of Ballycran in County Down and former chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, has been appointed as the new Director of the Arts Council of Ireland, taking over an organisation that has been navigating significant internal turbulence following a failed IT project and a period of leadership instability — a challenge she takes on as Culture Ireland simultaneously announces over €890,000 in funding to support 143 Irish arts projects across 36 countries.

Background

The Arts Council of Ireland is the principal state agency for the funding and development of the arts in Ireland, with a budget that reached a record €140 million in 2026. The organisation funds a vast range of artistic activity, from individual artists and small community arts groups to major national institutions including the Abbey Theatre, the Gate Theatre, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art. Its decisions about funding allocation have a profound impact on the shape and direction of Irish cultural life, and its leadership is therefore a matter of considerable significance for the arts sector.

The organisation has been through a difficult period in recent years. A failed IT project, revealed in February 2025 to have cost €6.7 million, triggered an independent review that identified issues including "strained interpersonal relationships," factional behaviour, and challenges related to rapid, unplanned staff and budget expansion between 2018 and 2024. The previous Director, Maureen Kennelly, departed the organisation in 2025 after Minister for Culture Patrick O'Donovan declined to approve her request for a second five-year term. Management consultant Dr Moling Ryan served as interim executive director during the transition period.

Shona McCarthy's appointment, which received the consent of Minister O'Donovan, was announced in August 2026 and she has now taken up the role. Her background is in cultural leadership at the highest level: she served as chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society from 2015 to 2025, overseeing one of the world's largest arts festivals during a period that included the significant challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. She has also served as Chair of the International Fund for Ireland and as a member of the Expert Panel on the UK City of Culture, and has held leadership positions at Walk the Plank in Manchester and the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast.

Key Developments

McCarthy's appointment has been welcomed across the arts sector as the arrival of an experienced and respected cultural leader at a moment when the Arts Council needs stability and direction. Arts Council Chair Maura McGrath cited McCarthy's extensive experience in cultural leadership and her vision for developing the arts in Ireland as the primary reasons for her selection. McCarthy herself has indicated that her priorities will include improving organisational morale, fostering a cohesive leadership team, and addressing the ongoing need for a functional IT system for processing grant applications.

The appointment coincides with a significant announcement from Culture Ireland, the government agency responsible for promoting Irish arts internationally. Minister O'Donovan has confirmed the allocation of over €890,000 in funding through Culture Ireland's Regular Grants Programme to support 143 projects across 36 countries, spanning disciplines including dance, film, literature, music, opera, theatre, and visual arts. Among the supported projects are tours by John Scott Dance, Teac Damsa, and Mufutau Yusuf in dance; Irish filmmakers attending international festivals including the Newport Beach Film Festival in the United States; appearances by Irish writers at events including the Vancouver Writers Festival in Canada; and global tours for music acts including Goitse, Plankton, and The Haar.

A separate fund of €4 million has been provided for "Cultúr 2026," a dedicated programme for Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, running from July to December 2026, which aims to showcase contemporary Irish artists across all EU member states. The combination of the Arts Council appointment and the Culture Ireland funding announcement represents a significant moment of investment and renewal for the Irish arts sector.

Why It Matters

The Arts Council's leadership matters because the organisation's decisions shape the cultural landscape of Ireland in ways that are felt by artists, audiences, and communities across the country. A period of internal instability at the Arts Council has created uncertainty for the arts sector, with funding decisions delayed and the organisation's strategic direction unclear. McCarthy's appointment brings a fresh perspective and a track record of successful cultural leadership, and the arts sector will be watching closely to see how she navigates the political and organisational challenges that await her. The Culture Ireland funding announcement is also significant: it reflects the government's commitment to promoting Irish arts internationally at a time when Ireland's cultural profile has never been higher, with Irish actors, directors, musicians, and writers achieving recognition at the highest levels of their respective fields.

Local Impact

For arts organisations and individual artists across Ireland, the Arts Council's leadership transition is a matter of practical significance. The organisation's grant-making decisions affect the financial viability of hundreds of arts organisations and thousands of individual artists, and the clarity and consistency of those decisions is critical to the sector's ability to plan and develop. In Northern Ireland, where McCarthy grew up, her appointment has been welcomed as a recognition of the talent and cultural leadership that the north of Ireland produces. The Culture Ireland funding will benefit artists from across the country, with projects supported in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and beyond. The international reach of the funding — 36 countries across five continents — reflects the global ambition of Irish arts and the government's commitment to supporting that ambition.

What's Next

Shona McCarthy is expected to set out her strategic priorities for the Arts Council in the coming months, with a formal strategy document anticipated before the end of 2026. The organisation's IT system remains a priority issue, with the Arts Council continuing to rely on outdated infrastructure for processing grant applications while a replacement system is developed. The Arts Council's funding allocation for 2027 will be determined in the context of Budget 2027, with the arts sector calling for a continued increase in the organisation's budget to reflect the growing scale and ambition of Irish cultural life. Culture Ireland's next Regular Grants Programme round is expected to open for applications in early 2027.