Executive Members Biographies
CHAIR Charlie Smyth, Arts Activist, Newry & Mourne City Council
Charlie Smyth has been involved in the arts for over 50 years. He has directed and
acted in numerous plays, musicals, pantomimes and variety shows.
Since 1972 Charlie has been a member of Newry Arts Committee where he currently
holds the position of Chairman. He is also President of the Newry drama festival,
Vice-Chairman of the Northern Ireland Amenity Council, Vice-President of the Newry
Musical & Orchestral Society, Director of the Newry Panto Players and Ex-Chairman
of Newry & Mourne District Council.
VICE-CHAIR Noelle McAlinden, Arts Activist, Fermanagh District Council
Noelle McAlinden has been a proactive arts activist for the past 23 years. She is
currently employed as Creative and Expressive Officer for WELB whereby she line
manages the CYP Development project while remaining an active member of
Fermanagh’s Arts Advisory Panel. Noelle is an active member on a number of
committees including the Association of Art and Design Education and the Steering
Committee for CYP. She also currently chairs the Interboard Panel for Creative and
Expressive Advisers and CYP Development Officers.
Noelle is a practising Artist and has exhibited her work successfully and widely
throughout Ireland, USA, Canada and Europe, both in a solo and group capacity.
Richard Mills MBE, Arts Activist, Castlereagh Borough Council
Richard is a founder member of the Belvoir Players, one of the Province’s most
active amateur dramatic societies and with them has directed and acted in over 120
productions. In 2000 Belvoir Players opened their new Rehearsal Studio at Belvoir
Drive which Richard now administers in a voluntary capacity.
For 15 years Richard was chairman of the Northern Amateur Theatre Association
and has been heavily involved in organising many successful Theatre Workshops.
He serves on Castlereagh Arts Forum and represents Castlereagh Drama Festival
on the Association of Ulster Drama Festivals (AUDF). In 2000 Richard was awarded
the MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll for “services to amateur drama”.
J Mac Pollock, Arts Activist, Ballymoney Borough Council
J Mac Pollock is currently Chairman of Ballymoney Borough Arts Committee,
Treasurer of Causeway Coast Arts, Chairman of Ballymoney Drama Festival and
Administrator of Portrush Summer Theatre. He is a photographer by profession.
Cllr Thomas Kerrigan, Strabane District Council
Cllr Thomas Kerrigan is the longest serving member on Strabane District Council. He
has served the local community since 1981. As a member of the board of governors
of Edward Primary School he has shown keen interest in the youth of this
community. He is also an active member of the Loyal Orders and has a keen interest
in his cultural heritage. As well as being a faithful servant to local government in
Strabane District he has also travelled extensively across Europe and the United
States promoting trade and tourism in the area as well as supporting the partnership
with Soux Falls, USA.
Cllr Larry McLarnon, Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council
Elected to Council in May 2001 Councillor Larry McLarnon is a member of the Sinn
Féin party representing the people of Dungannon Town Ward. As well as
representing his constituents at Council he also serves on the following:
Development, Arts/Cultural Forum, Return of the Earls and Sustainability sub
committees. Councillor McLarnon also represents Dungannon & South Tyrone
Borough Council on the following outside bodies: Charlie Donnelly Winter School,
Community Arts Management Committee, Dungannon Citizens Advice Bureau,
Dungannon Regeneration Partnership and the Management Committee of NI AntiPoverty Network. A Degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Fine Art Print displays
Councillor McLarnon’s strong interest in the Arts.
Ald Hubert Nicholl, Ballymena Borough Council
Alderman Hubert Nicholl is a DUP Councillor on Ballymena Borough Council. He is
currently Chairman of Ballymena District Policing Partnership and a member of the
Drainage Council for Northern Ireland. He is also member of the North Eastern
Education & Library Board, on which he chairs the Corporate Development
Committee. His interests are music, reading and theatre.
Cllr George Shiels, Magherafelt District Council
Cllr George Shiels is treasurer of the Magherafelt Arts Trust; he is a keen storyteller
and has produced ‘The Sperrins Mountains Autumn Storytelling Festival’ for the last
seven years, alongside director Liz Weir. He has from time to time recorded dialectic
poetry for various BBC programmes. He also has a keen interest in local history and
has written a short summary of the life of Charles Thomson. George travelled to the
USA in 2000 and again in 2004 to research Thomson at Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr
Pennsylvania.
Jean Brennan, Arts Development Officer, Omagh District Council
Jean Brennan is a graduate of the Samuel Beckett School of Drama, Trinity College
Dublin. She also holds a post-graduate diploma in Cultural Studies from the
University of Ulster. She originally worked in the independent theatre sector, then set
up and was artistic director of the Garage Theatre, Monaghan, where she served as
chair from 2003 - 2005. She was arts manager for Axis, Ballymun's Arts and
Community Resource Centre, during its development from 2000 - 2001. She has
also served as Chair of the Arts Managers Group from 2003 - 2005.
Cathie McKimm, Arts Development Manager, Down District Council
Cathie McKimm has been the Arts Development Manager with Down District Council
since January 2001. As well as being responsible for the strategic development of
the arts in Down District, she manages the Down Arts Centre, a town centre arts
facility in Downpatrick, with a 200 seat theatre space. She has also been responsible
for the establishment and development of Opera Fringe, a three-week festival that
runs along-side the annual Castleward Opera Programme in Strangford, the
establishment of Summer Theatre Programme for Newcastle, and the establishment
of Down Arts Forum, a member based voluntary organization. She is formerly the
Director of An Crann, a Belfast based arts organization, set up after the ceasefires to
give voice to the formerly untold stories of Northern Ireland’s political conflict through
a variety of different arts mediums.
Malcolm Murchison, Arts Officer & Centre Manager, Coleraine Borough Council
Malcolm Murchison graduated with honours from the Art and Design Centre, Belfast,
in ceramic design. He completed his postgraduate studies in fine craft ceramics and
product design. He has been employed for twenty-one years (with a three year break
in industry), in a busy arts facility and is currently Arts Officer and Manager of
Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart for Coleraine Borough Council. He has project
managed this £2.2 million development and is currently overseeing the staff,
programme and outreach development of the centre. Malcolm has served on a
number of committees including the WEA management Committee, and has chaired
the Arts Managers Group, Craft Northern Ireland and is currently the Chair of
Causeway Coast Arts Committee. Short intermittent bursts of creative expression in
ceramics have resulted in some critical acknowledgment and several awards.
Emma Wilson, Arts Development Officer, Craigavon Borough Council
Emma Wilson is a trained artist with a degree in Fine and Applied Arts from the
University of Ulster, Belfast. She works as Arts Development Officer for Craigavon
Borough Council. Emma is based at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre and
manages an arts development service which includes community arts, public domain
projects, partnership work and the secretariat for the Borough's arts advisory forum,
Craigavon Arts in Motion. She is currently involved in projects including 'Regenerate
Craigavon', the South Lough Neagh Arts Initiative and 'Artspace @ Oxford Island'