Staff & Board of Directors

The Linenhall currently has a core staff of five. We also have wonderful coffee-shop and cleaning staff, and currently four part-time Arts Facilitators who are employed on a FÁS-funded Community Employment Scheme. No member of Linenhall staff earns in excess of €50,000 per annum.

Meet the Staff

Bernadette Greenan is our Director. An experienced programmer and producer, with a background in literature, Bernadette has a strong passion for the arts and is particularly interested in promoting arts and culture in the West of Ireland. Contact Bernadette director@thelinenhall.com.

Maura Connolly joined the team in 1990. She has now reached the lofty heights of Administrator, and foolishly insists that she still enjoys working here. Contact Maura: info@thelinenhall.com. 

Orla Henihan is our Arts Access Officer. Orla’s background is in music and she is instrumental (geddit!) in developing our arts access programme, encouraging everyone to give it a lash. She’s also responsible for programming RoolaBoola, our amazing children’s Arts Festival. Contact Orla: access@thelinenhall.com.

Our friendly coffee-shop staff are waiting to meet and greet you. The coffee shop is open Monday to Friday from 10.00am – 5.30pm and on Saturday from 11.00am -- 5.30pm.

Nuriyah Nuriyah - or Ria to us - is our cleaner. She ensures that the place is sparkling for our visitors. If you’re here when she’s at work, watch out for her sunny smile.

Our current Community Arts Team, Elsa and Isaac, provide a range of visual arts workshops for children in the area, working mainly with primary schools. Contact our Arts Access Officer, Orla Henihan, on access@thelinenhall.com for more information. 

Marie Farrell is the retired founding Director of the Linenhall. 

Linenhall Board

The Linenhall Arts Centre is a Company Limited by Guarantee, governed by a Board of Directors, who volunteer their time and expertise. Membership of the company is currently restricted to current and past board members. A committee is reviewing our membership structure with a view to broadening its base.

Lorraine Gannon (Chair): Lorraine Gannon practised as a solicitor in Castlebar for many years. In 2017 she completed the Corporate Governance module of the B.A. in HR Management at GMIT Castlebar. She is a member of the writing group Writing on Tuesday's and the choir Cór Mhaigh Eo. Lorraine joined the Board in 2018.

Clodagh Geraghty (Secretary) is a native of Castlebar and is a lecturer in Law and Human Resource Management in GMIT. She has broad experience at senior board level and has particular expertise in the area of governance. She is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development and is a published academic as part of a European research group on Human Rights. Clodagh joined the Board in 2020.

Edith Geraghty is independent chair for the Mayo County Childcare Committee and coordinator of the Mayo Traveller Support Group. In August 2020 she was appointed to the Press Council of Ireland. She has over 30 years experience working in the voluntary and community sector. She has served on the Joint Policing Committee, the Public Participation Committee and the Foster Care Committee for Mayo and has been a trustee and chair of Erris No Name Club. Edith joined the Board in 2020. 

Thomas Gilligan is Head of Finance/Director of Services with Mayo County Council. Tom is a qualified accountant, a holder of an MBA in Local Government from DCU, and has a vast level of experience in the local authority sector. He is a music lover and author. He is the County Manager's nominee to the Linenhall Board of Directors in 2020. 

Michael Kilcoyne: Michael  was first elected to Castlebar Town Council in 1999 and served on the Town Council until it’s abolition in 2014. He is an elected  member of  Mayo County Council since 2009. He was an official of the ITGWU since 1979 and  Sectoral Organiser with SIPTU. He is Deputy Chairman of the Consumers’ Association of Ireland  and is a member of the HSE West Forum. Michael is the Mayo County Council elected representative nominated to the Board of the Linenhall and joined the Board in 2014. 

Alice Maher: Alice is an internationally renowned visual artist who works in a wide range of media. She represented Ireland at the 23rd Sao Paolo Biennale. A mid-career retrospective of her work ‘Becoming’ was held in IMMA in 2012. Her book Reservoir (Dublin: Roads Publishing, 2014) has brought the collection of sketchbooks that she has created over many years to the public's attention for the first time. She is a member of Aosdana and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Art from the National University of Ireland. Alice joined the Board in 2010.

Brendan Minish is Director at WestNet, Mayo's top VOIP provider. His area of expertise is Telecommunications and he specialises in wireless link planning, EMC, Systems administration, IP Networking, IPv6, Electronics, Linux, RHCE, HF VHF and Microwave Radio. Brendan joined the Board in 2020. 

Brendan O'Hara: Brendan is a retired Chartered Accountant. He works with a number of voluntary and not-for-profit groups in the area. Brendan joined the Board in 2015.

Ger Reidy: Ger is an award-winning writer and poet who has won several national poetry competitions and has been the recipient of a number of bursaries and residencies sponsored by the Arts Council and Mayo County Council. His third collection Before Rain was published by Arlen House in December 2014. He worked as an engineer with Mayo County Council for many years. Ger joined the Board in 2012.