New Chair for The Ark.

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Catherine Byrne as Chair of The Ark.

Catherine has been on The Ark’s board since October 2010 and succeeds Sheila de Courcy who is stepping down after eight years on the board. The Ark would like to thank Sheila for her dedication, leadership and expertise during her time as Chair.

Catherine brings a wide range of experience and expertise to the role of chair and to the work of the Ark. She qualified as a primary teacher, teaching children ranging in age from 3 to twelve in the early years of a rich and varied career in which teachers, children and primary education have dominated. She is an experienced negotiator and mediator and has built strong networks throughout her career in the fields of education, public policy, industrial relations, government and philanthropy in Ireland.
More recently Catherine's lifelong love of the Arts led her to membership of the board of the Abbey Theatre and to a year of theatre study (method acting) in the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. She currently works as a mediator and is Chair of DICE (development/ intercultural education in initial teacher education project).

Marking this announcement, Catherine stated “I am delighted to have been elected chair at this exciting juncture in the Ark’s development. As Aideen Howard our new director leads a new chapter in creating and producing excellent artistic experiences which will be accessible to all children, I look forward to working with her and the board to ensure that the organisation's governance, structures and resources match the ambitious goal of leading the field in creating quality artistic experiences for children in Ireland. Working with new artists, reaching out to children through their schools and their communities, increasing the public profile of the work, building fundraising capacity and influencing public policy will underpin the work of the board over the next 3 years."

Aideen Howard, Director of The Ark says “I would like to congratulate Catherine on her appointment as Chair of The Ark. In addition to her vast expertise Catherine has unique experience in the areas of education and policy making. She will be a serious advocate for the cultural rights of children in Ireland which is at the heart of The Ark’s Mission. I look forward to working with her to make The Ark available to all children."