Fiach Mac Conghail

Fiach Mac Conghail (born 4 August 1964) is CEO of the Digital Hub Development Agency.[1] He is a former Director of the Abbey Theatre from 2005 to 2016.[2] He is a former Senator from 2011 to 2016 and was appointed by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny.[3][4]

Fiach Mac Conghail
Senator
In office
May 2011 – April 2016
ConstituencyNominated by the Taoiseach
Personal details
Born (1964-08-04) 4 August 1964
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
Spouse(s)Bríd Ní Neachtain
Children2

Early life

His father, Muiris Mac Conghail, was a filmmaker and broadcaster who served as Government Press Secretary and was Controller of Programmes at RTÉ; his mother is a noted genealogist. Mac Conghail was raised in the Dublin suburb of Rathgar and attended Coláiste Eoin and later Trinity College Dublin, where he studied Economics and Politics.[2][5][6]

Career in the arts

Mac Conghail was the artistic director at the Project Arts Centre from 1992 to 1999.[7][8] He was the Director of Ireland's participation at the Expo 2000 world fair and acted as Cultural Programme Commissioner during the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 2004.[9] With his brother Cuan, he established the production company Brother Films in 1996.[5]

Mac Conghail was a special adviser to the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue from 2002 to 2005. In 2005, he was appointed as Director of the Abbey Theatre.[10]

When Mac Conghail announced his 2016 programme, "Waking the Nation", for the centennial year of the 1916 Rising, a storm ensued. Only one of the ten plays on the programme was written by a woman and only three directed by women. This sparked a campaign called "Waking the Feminists" to demand gender equality in theatre. Mac Conghail acknowledged that he had "failed to check his privilege".[11]

Public life

He was appointed to Seanad Éireann in May 2011 and sat as an Independent. He was the chairman of the We the Citizens, an initiative that aims to encourage the participation of the public in political affairs.[12][13]

Personal life

Mac Conghail has two daughters with actress Bríd Ní Neachtain.

References
  1. "Abbey Theatre director Fiach Mac Conghail to lead Digital Hub". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  2. Fiona Looney (6 February 2005). "Steadying the boards". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  3. Michael Brennan (21 May 2011). "Kenny hands Seanad seat to the President's husband". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  4. "Fiach Mac Conghail". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  5. "FIACH & CUAN MAC CONGHAIL THE CV". Irish Independent. 19 March 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  6. Collins, Stephen (2011). Nealon's Guide to the 31st Dáil and 24th Seanad. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. p. 212. ISBN 9780717150595.
  7. "Abbey's new director spells out vision". Breakingnews.ie. 1 February 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  8. "Theatre Forum Ireland -Who's Who". Theatre Forum Ireland. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  9. "MacConghail takes charge at Abbey Theatre". The Stage. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  10. Brian Lavery (25 March 2006). "The Abbey Theater's Fiach Mac Conghail Takes a Cue From Yeats". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  11. Waking the Feminists Irish Independent, 15 November 2015
  12. Jack Horgan-Jones (11 May 2011). "Grassroots can renew Irish politics, meeting told". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  13. Genevieve Carbery (1 June 2011). "Reform group praises public's positive views". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
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