Board of Directors

Tim Healy, Chair

Board Chair Tim Helay (BA, CPFA) also serves on the Board’s Finanace Sub-committee. Mr Healy is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy and a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland.

He was Head of Finance with Cork City Council and has extensive experience and expertise in all aspects of Financial Management, Debt Management, Procurement, Risk Management and Internal Control systems. He also has significant experience of promoting Urban Renewal, Project Management and Corporate Development.

Mr Healy was Company Secretary to the Cork Capital of Culture Company from 2004 to 2006. He currently serves as a non-executive Director on the Boards of LeisureWorld Ltd and the Cork Money Advice & Budgeting Service. He is also the Chair of the Cork ETB Audit Committee and an external member of the University of Limerick Audit & Risk Management Committee. Mr Healy is also a member of the Evaluation & Approvals Committee of the Cork City Local Enterprise Office.

Eddie Murphy

Board Member Eddie Murphy serves as the Chair of the Board’s Finance Sub-Committee. A UCC graduate in Commerce and HDE, followed by CIMA qualification, Mr Murphy forged a career in the motor industry, concluding his most recent years as Managing Director of Henry Ford & Son. He also served as Chairman for the company for a time. Mr Murphy was also past President of the Society of Irish Motor Industry, a former Board Member of Cork Chamber of Commerce and Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture. He also serves as Current Chairman of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Ciarán Bermingham

Board member Ciarán Bermingham is a Cork based actor, director and writer. His extensive resumé includes work for both stage and screen. His film credits include but are not limited to The Young Offenders, Dead Along the Way, Patricks Day and Moore Street Masala.

Television credits include shows such as Game Of Thrones, The Tudors, Men Without Souls and Killnaskully. Musical Theatre credits include productions such as Hairspray, Guys and Dolls, The Full Monty and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Mr Bermingham has worked as a director on projects such as Tons of Money, Lend me a Tenor, Into the Woods and The Wedding Singer. He has also worked as a writer and a script editor on mutiple projects.

Majella Cullagh

Board member Majella Cullagh is one of Ireland’s foremost international sopranos. Majella holds an impressive twenty five year career on the operatic stage.

Her career has led her to perform at note worthy locations such as important houses in Europe; she’s performed in New York, Dallas, California and as far afield as New Zealand. Highlights include performances at the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall, at the Royal Swedish Opera, Opera di Verona, Opera de Toulon and many more.

While Ms Cullagh’s career has been concentrated on the operatic stage, she also performs extensively in oratorio and on the concert platform. She has an impressive discography with over thirty recordings on the Opera Rara, Chandos and Naxos labels.

Cllr. Mary Rose Desmond

Board member Cllr. Mary Rose Desmond also serves on the Board’s HR & Renumeration Sub-committee. Cllr. Desmond currently works as a Regional Development Co-Ordinator with Chartered Accountants Ireland. In her job both as Parliamentary Assistant and Councillor Mary Rose works assisting individuals, community groups, schools, businesses and sporting organisations throughout the community.

Mary Rose’s love of theatre evolved from her time as a member of Montforts and her true love was working back stage. For many years, Cllr Desmond enjoyed Stage Managing, Propping and Set Dressing productions in Cork Arts Theatre and The Everyman Theatre for a number of theatre companies in Cork including Montforts, CADA, and Everyman Productions. Her theatre involvement for many years now is in the enjoyable position of audience member.

Denis Kelleher

Board member Denis Kelliher also serves on the Board’s Finance Sub-committee. Denis has worked in the Insurance and Financial Services industry for 38 years and has held a number of senior positions. He previously worked as an Executive Director with New Ireland Assurance Company and is currently on the management team of Aviva (Life and Pensions) Ireland. Mr Kelleher also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Insurance Institute of Ireland.

Margaret Lane (Company Secretary)

Board member Margaret Lane holds the position of Chair on the Board’s HR & Renumeration Sub-committee. Margaret has 40 years of business experience in the commercial semi-state and public sectors and has held a number of senior positions in Finance and HR. She was the HR Director of Ervia and is a qualified accountant (ACCA) and holds an MBA from UCC and a Certificate in Coaching from Henley Business School/Reading University. Ms Lane is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Mercy University Hospital since 2008 and a member of Cork City Council Audit Committee since October 2014.

Cllr. Seán Martin

Board member Cllr. Martin was first elected to the Cork City Council in 2004 and served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 2004 to 2005. He is a member of the South West Regional Authority, the Chairman of Cork City Sports Committee and the Chairman of the Rapid Monitoring Committee as well as a member of Colaiste Chriosti Ri Board of Management. Cllr Martin is also an active member of Nemo Rangers Hurling & Football Club.

Dr Áine Ní Shé

Board member Dr Ní Shé holds the position of Chair on the Board’s Audit & Risk Sub-committee. She holds a PhD in Mathematics and is currently the Head of the Department of Mathematics at Cork Institute of Technology as well as Acting Registrar and Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Dr Ní Shé is a member of the Irish Committee for the Athena SWAN Charter, encouraging the advancement of gender equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).

A former member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, she continues to play violin in various orchestras and chamber ensembles in Cork and Ireland, performing on several programmes on RTE and TG4. Her interest in music spans a variety of genres and styles. She is also a keen supporter of the arts in general, in particular, theatre, film, and the visual arts.

Rónán Ó Dubhghaill

Board member Rónán Ó Dubhghaill is the Vice President for External Relations at University College Cork. Prior to joining UCC in 2006, Rónán worked with EMC Corporation as Senior Director of Engineering and Operational Excellence. Rónán holds BE (Elec) and PhD degrees from UCC and an MBA from Henley Management College.

Cllr. Terry Shannon

Board member Cllr. Shannon was re-elected to Cork City Council in 2014 and has been actively involved in Fianna Fáil for over 20 years. He served as Chair of Cork North Central Ógra from 1983 to 1987, was a Member of National Youth Committee in 1987 and was elected to the Cork City Council in June 1999, after topping the poll at the first attempt. He is the election agent to Minister Micheál Martin.

Cllr. Gearóid Murphy

Gearóid is a County Councillor and barrister, based in Mallow. He was first co-opted onto Cork County Council in 2017 and re-elected in 2019. He is a member of the Council’s Arts, Culture and Languages SPC and the Economic Development SPC. He also sits on the Cork Area Strategic Plan Committee and the North Cork Local Community Development Committee. Cllr. Murphy has a keen interest in all art forms and is a regular supporter of the Mallow Arts Festival and other artistic projects in Cork.

Cllr. Joe Kavanagh

Cllr Joe Kavanagh has been a Member of Cork City Council since 2011 having been successfully elected twice in 2014 and in 2019 in the North East Local Electoral Area of the City. In 2016, he was honoured to be elected as Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork City. He currently serves on a number of sub committees in Cork City Council such as Finance Committee, Planning Committee and Environment Committee.

Cllr. Kavanagh was also instrumental in the setting up of the Dog Fouling Awareness Committee; he’s an active member of Mayfield St Luke’s Tidy Towns Committee which he set up in 2017 and is also a member of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee. Cllr Kavanagh is passionate about local community, the arts, tourism and particularly working with local community in making our communities a better place to do business and to live in.