Appointment to the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
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Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons has appointed Mr Pádraig Ó Duinnín as a Member to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland Board from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2029.
The Arts Council has a key role to play in developing and improving the knowledge, appreciation, and practice of the arts, and increasing public access to and participation in the arts. It is also responsible for the distribution of Lottery grants. Its statutory functions are set out in The Arts Council (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. It is a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the Department for Communities.
Notes to editors:
- The Arts Council NI Board Member positions require a time commitment of approximately 11 days per annum. These positions are unpaid. However, travel and subsistence allowances are payable in line with NI Civil Service rates.
- This appointment has been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s (CPA NI) Code of Practice. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, CPA NI requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Any relevant details are provided in the below biography.
- Pádraig Ó Duinnín Biography: Pádraig is currently the Director of Statement Productions Ltd, which provides programming and producing services along with festival, event and production management services to commercial and public clients in the UK and Ireland. He was Events Manager for the first UK City of Culture held in Derry-Londonderry, during which Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, BBC Big Weekend and the Turner Prize all visited the city. He has worked extensively throughout the arts and international live events sector, is a former Board Member of the Arts Council of Ireland, and is currently on the Northern Ireland Advisory Committee of the British Council as a representative from the Arts and Culture sector. Over the last 25 years he has been a director and trustee on numerous boards in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. He does not currently hold any other public appointments and has not undertaken any political activity in the past five years.
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