New Artistic Director

Kate Buckley, Chairperson of the board of Samhlaiocht, welcomes Jason O' Mahony as Artistic Director

Samhlaiocht has undergone many changes through out the years, some planned - like the expansion of its arts programmes including the fantastically successful 2006 Kerry Film Festival which took place in October of last year and its recent move from Blennerville into new offices in the Old Presbytery in Lower Castle Street Tralee, some unplanned - like the year the foot and mouth outbreak necessitated cancelling the entire Easter festival at the last minute and changing it to a summer festival instead and more changes are taking place as we speak.

"2007 appears to be off to a brilliant start! We're delighted to welcome Jason O' Mahony to the position of Artistic Director of Samhlaiocht," said Kate Buckley, Chairperson of the board of Samhlaiocht. "After a wide ranging search to find the ideal person to take on this vital position we're thrilled that Jason, with his wealth of experience in film and the arts, has accepted the position and I look forward to working with him and making, what I hope will be, a very significant impact on our 15th festival and, of course, for many years beyond."

With the Samhlaiocht 2007 Easter Arts Festival slated to kick off on Good Friday, April 6th and the Samhlaiocht 2007 Children's Bumble Bee Festival beginning on the same day Jason will have his work cut out for him, though with an impressive C.V. that includes stints at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Festival, the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and the California Film Institute it's a task that he is looking forward to with relish.

"I'm over the moon about the position," said Jason O' Mahony "and though I know I have big boots to fill, the last Artistic Director, Maurice Galway, did an amazing job, I'm looking forward to the challenge and am sure that Samhlaiocht will prove to be equal parts demanding and rewarding."

"Speaking of being over the moon, the theme for this year's Samhlaiocht Easter Arts Festival is 'Stars', and is concerned with all things Artistic," added Jason. "Everything from music, tradition, craft, culture, food and film to literature will be catered for in this year's Easter Arts Festival. And in the immortal words of Irish rogue, Oscar Wilde 'We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars'."

Jason won't have to do it all on his own, however, with a core group of people in Samhlaiocht including Una Curran, who has been working with the festival since 1995, and Trish Thomson, who has been with Samhlaiocht since 1999, heading up a strong cast and with Roisin McGuigan, who has a wealth of experience in the community arts field, joining shortly as the Arts Administrator the continuing success of Samhlaiocht seems assured.