Maureen Kennelly to step down as director of the Arts Council next month

Maureen Kennelly will step down as Director of the Arts Council in June, following the completion of her five-year term on May 4, a statement confirmed.

The statement, issued by the Board of the Arts Council, also noted that Kennelly has agreed to remain in her role temporarily to represent the Council at the upcoming Public Accounts Committee and Oireachtas hearings, which will start tomorrow.

She is due to address the loss of €6.7 million for an abandoned IT system project started in 2019. The new system was meant to update how grant applications are processed and managed. Its original cost was stated to be €3m.

In February of this year, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Patrick O'Donovan said there would be an external review into what he described as a "governance failure."

Kennelly was appointed Director in April 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the statement, she "led the organisation through an exceptionally challenging time, guiding it with strength and vision."

Her tenure saw significant cultural and organisational changes, with a focus on development, staff wellbeing and increased state funding for the arts. The statement also noted that Kennelly resolved longstanding challenges and brought "renewed strategic clarity to the Council’s work."

The Board expressed its appreciation for Kennelly’s leadership, describing her contribution as "transformative" and marked by "the highest levels of integrity and commitment to public service."

Chair of the Arts Council, Maura McGrath, said: "Maureen is truly of the arts. For her, the role of Director was a vocation, not merely a job. Her commitment and passion were evident every day, and are widely acknowledged across the sector."

The Arts Council has not yet announced plans for a successor. Further updates are expected in the coming weeks.