Maureen Kennelly to step down as Arts Council director following PAC hearing on €6.7m IT controversy
Ms Kennelly's five-year term in the role ended earlier this month, however the Arts Council has said she agreed to stay on as director to represent the body at upcoming Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and Oireachtas hearings.
The Arts Council is set to appear before PAC this Thursday, when it will be asked about an abandoned IT project, in what will be the first major hearing before the committee since the formation of the 34th Dáil.
Earlier this year, it was revealed the Arts Council had spent almost €7m on the project which planned to bring in a new system for processing and managing grant applications.
When the project was first planned in 2019, it was expected to cost €3m and take two-and-a-half years.
By the time it was abandoned, the cost of the project had reached €6.675m but the new system was still not in place. The Arts Council continues to use the outdated grant applications system it had when the upgrade was proposed.
The Comptroller and Auditor General found €5.3m was written off on the project and had it continued to go ahead, it would not have been completed until 2028.
"Maureen is truly of the arts. For her, the role of Director was a vocation, not merely a job,' the chair of the Arts Council board Maura McGrath said.
'Her commitment and passion were evident every day, and are widely acknowledged across the sector. We are deeply grateful for her unwavering dedication and her loyal service to the arts community.'
Ms Kennelly took up the role of Arts Council director in April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic led a 'period of significant cultural change' in the organisation.
The Arts Council said she worked through 'longstanding legacy challenges and brought renewed strategic clarity to the Council's work'.
Maureen's contribution to the arts in Ireland has been transformative and is recognised both nationally and internationally,' a statement from the Arts Council read.
'Throughout her tenure, Maureen has demonstrated the highest levels of integrity and commitment to public service. Her principled approach to leadership and unwavering dedication to the arts community have been defining hallmarks of her directorship.
'The Board wishes to express its heartfelt thanks to Maureen for her enormous contribution and extends its very best wishes for her future endeavours."
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