Who We Are

Date of Appointment: 16/10/2023

Donagh Collins moved to London in 1999 to work at Askonas Holt, starting as an Administrator in its Tours & Projects Department and subsequently managing that department. Donagh joined Askonas Holt’s Board of Directors in 2007 and took over as Chief Executive in 2014. A passionate advocate of youth orchestras, Donagh was in turn a member, manager. and director of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, and is currently a Trustee of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Date of Appointment: 27/07/2020

Deborah Kelleher was appointed Director of the RIAM in October 2010, and has played an integral role in the strategic development of the institution’s international profile, outreach, and academic courses.  In 2016 Deborah was elected Vice-President of the European Association of Conservatoires, an umbrella group for over 300 conservatoires in Europe and beyond.

Francis Humphrys is Chief Executive Officer of West Cork Music. Educated at Oxford and the London School of Economics, he subsequently worked in theatre before moving to West Cork in the nineteen seventies and taking up farming. He founded the West Cork Chamber Music Festival in 1996 and developed the West Cork Literary Festival and Masters of Tradition in following years.

Date of Appointment: 07/06/2022

Grace O’Mahony has been with West Cork Music since 2002, and she is currently the CFO and General Manager of the company. She ensures the ongoing financial health of the company, combining strong attention to detail with a deep understanding of West Cork Music, its history and its mission. As Company Secretary she supports the Chairperson, Board and CEO in ensuring the organisation’s full compliane with its strategic, governance and compliance responsibilities.

Date of Appointment: 12/06/2019

John Bowen is a Chartered Engineer and a well-known figure in Irish business. Formerly the Chairman and CEO of The Bowen Group, one of Ireland’s largest building and civil engineering contractors and with extensive operations in the UK, he now heads the consultancy firm BowenConsult with its associated BowenConstruct, an international construction contracting business. A former finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year Awards programme, he has been Chairman of the Crawford Art Gallery since 2006 and is also a Director of the Soul of Haiti Foundation. He holds a BE from University College, Cork and an MBA from the prestigious Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick.

Date of Appointment: 27/11/2019

Holly McKeever Cairns is the Leader of the Social Democrats party in Ireland and a TD for Cork South-West, as well as an experienced environmental campaigner.

Date of Appointment: 24//10/2018

Director at West Cork Arts Centre

Ann Davoren has over 20 years professional experience in arts management, with a particular emphasis on and expertise in the visual arts and in arts education and community-based arts practice. She has also gained significant experience in Project Management and Building Development projects in bringing Uillinn: West Cork Arts Centre from concept to completion in 2015.

Date of Appointment: 27/09/2017

John O’Kane was born and educated in Belfast and, following studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, began his professional life as a cellist. He was a member of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Ulster Orchestra, and founded the Belfast based contemporary music ensemble Sequenza which commissioned and premiered a number of new works. As CEO of Music Network, he played a lead role in developing the Vogler Quartet in Sligo residency and authored a feasibility study, A National System of Local Music Education Services. He worked for over a decade at The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon as Arts Director before joining RTÉ as Executive Director, Orchestras, Quartet and Choirs. In this role, he initiated a partnership project that offered a view of music composed in Ireland 1916‐2016, Composing the Island. He is currently RTÉ Music and Arts Strategy Executive. Qualifications include a B. Mus (Queen’s University, Belfast) and an MBA (University College, Dublin).

Date of Appointment: 06/10/2021

Dan Flinter is Chairman of The Irish Times Group, a member of the Board of the National Gallery of Ireland, a former Chairman of the PM Group, and a former independent director of Dairygold Co-Op. He is a former CEO of Enterprise Ireland and is an Eisenhower Fellow.

Date of Appointment: 06/10/2021

Ailbhe Cunningham is a Registered Architect MRIAI, Printmaker and Photographer with a particular focus on the enhancement of natural urban environments. Ailbhe has worked for a number of award winning architecture practices in Ireland and abroad. She has experience across a wide range of project scales including civic and large scale housing projects, one off new build houses and extensions.

Date of Appointment: 25/04/2023

Aiden McCarthy is a property developer and businessman located in Bantry, West Cork. He holds a Business degree, Executive MBA and Executive Diploma in Corporate Governance. Former Mayor of Bantry and former Chairman of Bantry Harbour Authority, he holds various positions on boards of local community charitable organisations.

Date of Appointment: 20/05/2025

David Gordon is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Securities and Investment Institute. He holds a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.  He moved from the UK to Ireland in 2018 to establish and run the new European HQ for S&P (Standard and Poor’s) following BREXIT.  Prior to this, he gained experience in the fields of Risk and Compliance through senior roles in various banks and financial institutions including S&P, Merrill Lynch and Nomura.  David moved from Dublin to West Cork in 2023 where he embraces its local culture and natural beauty.  David holds a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester.