Board & Governance
St. Patrick’s Festival is committed to best practice governance and is compliant with the
Charities Regulator’s Charities Governance Code.
St. Patrick’s Festival complies with all regulatory requirements and operates in accordance with its governing document.
St. Patrick’s Festival keeps detailed books, records of accounts, and maintains strict financial controls. The organisation is transparent in its audited financial statements.
Directors Financial Reports
St. Patrick’s Festival is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. In accordance with good governance, St. Patrick’s Festival has a Finance, Audit and Governance Subcommittee. St. Patrick’s Festival also has a Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee and a Nominations Subcommittee.
A short biography of each Director and whether they are on the Finance, Audit and Governance and/or the Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee and/or the Nominations Subcommittee is outlined below.
St. Patrick’s Festival Board of Directors
Clare Aherne
Clare Aherne is an Art Director with Verve Live Agency, Dublin. She has over a decade of experience in the creative, events and marketing industries, both domestically and globally. Clare has served on the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since December 2024. Clare is a member of the Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee and the Nominations Subcommittee.
Orla Carroll
Orla Carroll is Director of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland. She joined Fáilte Ireland in 2008 after working for over 10 years in the telecommunications industry.
Orla has served on the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since February 2022. Orla is chair of the Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee.
Shane Clarke
Shane Clarke is CEO of SCC911SC LTD Business Consulting. Previous Executive roles, Director of Corporate Services & Northern Ireland with Tourism Ireland , Managing Director Maguire & Pattersons Sales and Marketing, CFO ConocoPhllips Ireland , Commercial Director (Wines) Diageo Ireland, Financial Director (UDV/Baileys) Diageo Ireland.
Shane is a Chartered Director and Fellow of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants: C Dir, FCMA, MBS, BBS.
Shane has served as a Director on the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since November 2018. Shane is acting chair of St. Patrick’s Festival and a member of the Nominations Subcommittee. Shane is also the Chairman of the Fingal Volunteer Centre.
Peter Cosgrove
Peter is the Managing Director of Futurewise, a future of work advisory company. He has over 30 years experience in the private sector, previously working with companies JP Morgan, PwC and Cpl. He has served as a board member and Chair with three charities in the past 15 years. He is a graduate of U.C.D.
Peter joined the Board in December 2024. Peter is a member of the Audit, Risk & Governance Subcommittee and the Nominations Subcommittee.
John Healy
John Healy is Moloney & Kelly’s managing director and managing director of the Abbey Group’s MICE divisions, including Abbey Conferences and Abbey Events. He is also one of the owners of the Abbey Group, the ultimate owner of Moloney & Kelly DMC, Abbey Conferences and Abbey Events.
John has worked at a senior level within the tourism industry for over 30 years, including past chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITOC), so his knowledge of the industry is extensive.
He is currently chair of Tourism Ireland’s Broader Business Strategy Group, which is charged with developing a strategy and supporting its implementation for the business tourism sector from 2025 to 2030.
Sonya Lennon
Sonya Lennon is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and social entrepreneur who founded Work Equal and LIFT Ireland. Her lifestyle brand is Lennon Courtney, which is in retail partnership with Kilkenny Design.
Sonya is also a high-profile advocate for equitable workplaces and women’s empowerment. She lobbies at the European level for policy change and was recently called on as an expert witness to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on gender equity. Sonya recently completed a Master’s in Business Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at IADT. Sonya is a Dublin Chamber of Commerce board member and chairs the Labour Taskforce.
Sonya joined the Board in February 2025. Sonya is a member of the Audit, Risk and Governance Subcommittee and the Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee.
Neil Leyden
Neil is currently Head of RTE.ie, the online arm of the state broadcaster and the number one media website in Ireland. He has previously worked as a digital media strategist, scriptwriter and entrepreneur. In his role as digital strategist, he has worked with a diverse range of companies including Windmill Lane Pictures, AIB, Intel, Deloitte Media, Worldirish.com and Independent News & Media PLC.
As a scriptwriter he has worked for the BBC, Jam Media, Fiddler’s Green and Brown Bag Films. He previously sat on the boards of the Irish Internet Association (IIA), Broadcasting Authority of Ireland Contracts Committee and was Chairman of the Digital Media Forum, a network of digital media companies in Ireland as well as sitting on the board of a number of tech start-ups, including an early VR venture. In 2011, he was named winner of Your Country, Your Call – a nationwide competition run by Áras an Uachtaráin
Lord Mayor Ray McAdam
Ray McAdam was elected the 358th Lord Mayor of Dublin on 30th June 2025. A member of Fine Gael, he was first elected to Dublin City Council in 2009 to represent the North Inner City and has been re-elected at every subsequent Local Election in 2014, 2019, and 2024.
He was born in Cavan and raised in Northern Ireland. He moved to Dublin in 2002 to study Philosophy and Political Science at Trinity College. Before entering elected office, he worked in sales and later served as a Political Aide to Minister Paschal Donohoe in the Oireachtas.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is an ex-officio board observer.
Eoghan O'Mara Walsh
Eoghan is the CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC), the representative body for Irish tourism and hospitality interests.
Eoghan previously owned and managed O’Mara Travel Ltd, a leading tour operator; Heritage Island Ltd, a marketing company for visitor attractions; and O’Mara Consultancy Ltd, a tourism consultancy business. In his earlier career he was Procurement Executive with Diageo in London and Dublin. Eoghan has been CEO of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation (ITIC) since September 2015.
Eoghan has served on the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since September 2022. Eoghan is chair of the Nominations Subcommittee.
Aidan Power
Aidan is Tourism Ireland’s Director of Marketing. He is responsible for strategy, insights and driving the organisation’s marketing communications, creative and media strategy at a global level. He has over 25 years’ experience working in the private sector, with roles previously in Musgraves, EBS Building Society and KBC Bank. He was a former board member of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) and Enactus Ireland. He is currently a board member of LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice. He is a graduate of UCC.
Aidan has served on the Board of St. Patrick’s Festival since May 2025. Aidan is a member of the Fundraising and Sponsorship Subcommittee
