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Full coverage: arts council

In the firing line: The questions that PAC should have for the Arts Council

Director Maureen Kennelly’s oversight of the agency's failed IT project will likely be raised at the committee on Thursday. Senior department officials should also be quizzed about what they knew and when.

Niall Sargent
28th May, 2025 - 7 min read

Arts Council officials to come before Public Accounts Committee next week

Chair John Brady has said examining the council’s €6.5m abandoned IT system is a priority for the powerful committee. The National Gallery of Ireland director will also appear over its unused X-ray scanner.

Niall Sargent
23rd May, 2025 - 2 min read

Arts department yet to carry out five-year reviews of agencies as required since 2016 under governance rules

Under the critical review process, departments must examine if robust governance arrangements are in place at agencies. Could earlier action have nipped problems with the Arts Council IT project in the bud?

Niall Sargent
8th May, 2025 - 3 min read

Arts Council redacted critical details of growing IT project issues in public documents

Unredacted board minutes released under freedom of information show details of delays, budget overruns, board unease, and a dispute with contractors were all blacked out in public versions released since 2021.

Niall Sargent
23rd Apr, 2025 - 6 min read

Arts Council fiasco: What the minister and her officials knew and when

Documents released under FOI show former minister Catherine Martin was well briefed by July 2024, while the senior manager over arts was in the loop by March 2023. Why the "failure" in escalating the issue sooner?

Niall Sargent
18th Apr, 2025 - 5 min read

Permission granted for apartments at “occupied” House of The Dead building

The former Joyce museum, now owned by GAA manager and private emergency accommodation provider Séamus McEnaney, is currently occupied by a group with anti-immigration sentiments.

Niall Sargent
4th Apr, 2025 - 3 min read

Arts Council and contractor at odds over “sub-standard” work claim on failed €6.5m IT project

Released internal documents from the project's post-mortem put its contractor in the firing line. In its first public response, Codec is adamant it did the job to spec, with no liability as the council tries to claw back part of the €5.3m of taxpayers' money.

Niall Sargent
2nd Apr, 2025 - 8 min read

Arts Council’s outdated IT system to shut for essential maintenance this month

Last week, the arts minister Patrick O’Donovan told the Dáil that the state agency's existing grant application system was “cumbersome and clunky” but that it was still functional despite a costly failed attempt to replace it.

Niall Sargent
10th Mar, 2025 - 2 min read

“Gobsmacked”: Experts point to lessons to look for from Arts Council controversy

How far up the project chain to outsource and when to pay for completed work are two avenues people familiar with the procurement of IT systems would explore.

Niall Sargent
19th Feb, 2025 - 5 min read

The buck stops where? What the Arts Council report reveals about departmental oversight

A detailed report into the €6.5m failed IT project lays out who knew what and when in the department, and how problems slipped through the cracks when they could have been flagged at an earlier stage.

Niall Sargent
18th Feb, 2025 - 9 min read
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