First hunt for a new Arts Council NI boss in over a quarter of a century as current CEO Roisín McDonough steps down
The long-time chief executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland is stepping down.
Roisín McDonough has been the grant-giving body’s CEO for 26 years.
She said in a statement: “It's been an immense privilege to have worked in such a wonderfully creative and life-affirming sector as the arts for all these years.
"My colleagues couldn't have been better companions on the road travelled, and I know I was fortunate to have one of the best jobs in Northern Ireland.
"Our artists and creative practitioners hold their own on the world stage and, consequently, we all stand a little taller because of them.”
The board of the Arts Council has begun the process of recruiting a replacement, with details to be published “shortly”.
Ms McDonough will remain in post until the end of March 2027.
The Arts Council’s annual budget is around £14m, of which £8m comes from the Department for Communities and just under £6m from the National Lottery.