Press Release

O'Donoghue announces new appointments to the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland.

John O'Donoghue TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, today (Tuesday 30^th December, 2003) announced that he has appointed Pauline Bewick, Dr. Abdul Bulbulia and Bernard McNamara for a term of five years as members of the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery of Ireland.

Minister O'Donoghue said he was gratified that the three people had agreed to serve as members of the Board of Governors and Guardians of the National Gallery and he thanked them for their public- spirited response to his invitation to serve. "I am delighted that that they have accepted my invitation to support the important work of the National Gallery of Ireland. All three will contribute to the important cultural role of the Gallery as it celebrates its 150^th anniversary in 2004".

Minister O'Donoghue also paid tribute to the notable contribution made to the work of the Gallery by the outgoing members of the Board, Geraldine Hone, Andrew O'Connor and Ken Rohan, who have completed their five year terms.

Biographies of the new members are attached.

ENDS

Biographies:

Pauline Bewick is one Ireland's leading visual artists. In 1986, the Guinness Hopstore in Dublin held a retrospective exhibition, Two to Fifty, which included 1,500 works dating from when she was two years old, and which travelled to galleries and museums around Ireland.

In 1996, the Royal Hibernian Academy exhibited the Yellow Man series of paintings, a theme that later evolved to include sketches, watercolours, oils, tapestry, stained glass, music, dance and theatre. The Yellow Man collection now numbers more than 700 objects, and remains together in the artist's collection. Her biography, Pauline Bewick: Painting a Life, by art historian and former director of the National Gallery of Ireland Dr. James White, was published in 1985. She lives in Co. Kerry. Pauline Bewick is a member of Aosdána.

Dr. Abdul Bulbulia was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is a General Practitioner and has been a member of the Medical Council since 1994. He was founder member of Arts in Hospital Waterford Programme and is currently President of the Waterford Healing Arts Trust. His is one of the partners, with the Arts Council, of the International Arts in Health Conference to be held in Dublin in June 2004. He was a Board member of Garter Lane Arts Centre (1992-1995). Dr. Bulbulia lives and works in Waterford.

Bernard McNamara is the Managing Director of Michael McNamara & Company, which is Ireland's fifth largest Building Contractor. He was a member of the Board of Great Southern Hotels between 1991 and 1995. In 1998 he was appointed member of the Board of the National Roads Authority and is at present the Vice Chairman.

He became a member of the Interim Governing Authority of the Irish Academy for the Performing Arts in 2002 and for several years served on fund raising committees such as St Michael's House, Dublin and Cahercalla Hospice, Ennis Co Clare.