Shona McCarthy takes over at troubled Irish Arts Council
Shona McCarthy, for nine years the CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe whose fortunes she revived recording the most successful Fringe year in 2019, has taken up her new post as director of the Arts Council of Ireland.
Since leaving the Fringe in 2025 McCarthy has been chair of the International Fund for Ireland, supporting grass-roots peace-building in Northern Ireland and the southern border counties. Before going to the Fringe McCarthy steered the bid for Derry-Londonderry to be the first UK City of Culture in 2013. She was born in Ballycran, Co Down, and was one of 53 applicants for the post.
She takes up the job as the Arts Council of Ireland prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary next year. “This is a milestone moment not only in the organisation’s history but in the history of a state that places art and culture at the heart of society through sustained government investment, and at a time of increased funding for the Arts Council in 2027” McCarthy said. She is expected to liaise closely with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
She becomes director after a difficult time for the Arts Council when it recently faced scrutiny, public accountability sessions and external reviews of its sending and administratve procedures when a €6.7m IT project had to be discontinued. The previous director, Maureen Kennelly, left in 2025 when her contract was not renewed by the Irish culture minister Patrick O'Donovan. The Arts Council is pursuing the recovery of €3m.