Our Council Board

Meet our board

Heritage Council board members are appointed by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and, Heritage. Coming from diverse backgrounds and with wide ranging skills, each member provides an invaluable conduit of ideas and energy, enabling the organisation to lead, respond and deliver effectively.

All expenses to board members are paid in accordance with the guidelines and rules set down by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Details of expenses are published in our annual reports.

Martina Moloney

Dr Martina Moloney, Chairperson

  • Former Chief Executive , Louth County Council; Galway County Council
  • Former Member, The Arts Council
  • Former Member, National Oversight & Audit Commission for Local Government
John Burgess

John Burgess

  • Director at Agile Development Limited with over 40 years of experience in the built environment, providing engineering advisory services relating to energy and indoor air quality in buildings
  • Senior member of the leadership team for the built environment at ARUP 1998-2025
  • Chair and vice-chair of the Geothermal Association of Ireland from 2008 to 2016
  • Winner of the Engineers Ireland Institution Prize for paper presented on St Fin Barres Cathedral in 2002
  • Lead MEP building services design team member for award winning buildings such as: Aurora Place, Sydney (Renzo Piano Architects), The Glucksman Art Gallery, Cork (O'Donnell and Tuomey Architects) The Boole Library Retrofit and Extension, Cork ( Wilson Architects, Cork and Shefley Bulfinch Richardson Architects, Boston)The Lexicon Library, Dun Laoghaire (Carr Cotter Naessens Architects, Cork)
  • Co-ordinator of the annual Birr Engineering Festival 
  • Fellow of Engineers Ireland, Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers
  • Chartered Energy Manager through the Energy Institute
  • Member of ASHRAE and ICOMOS
Damian Downes

Damian Downes

  • Head of Governance and Corporate Services at the Educational Research Centre. 
  • Previous Director of Corporate Services at the Medical Council (2019 – 2021)
  • Previous College Secretary and Registrar at the National College of Art and Design (2011 – 2019). 
  • Chief Executive at Kilkenny Arts Festival (2007 to 2011). 
  • Damian has an MA in Communication and Cultural Studies from DCU, an MBA from the Smurfit Business School at UCD, a Post Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance, also from UCD, and an Advanced Diploma in Data Protection Law from the Kings Inns.
Michael Farrell

Michael Farrell

  • Former Corporate Secretary and Director of Human Resources, UCC
  • Chief Executive, Clinical Research Ireland, 2020 - date
  • Interim Chief Executive, Royal College of Physicians, 2018 – 2019
Fionnuala May

Fionnuala May

• County Architect, Fingal County Council 2011-the present.
• Served as a member of the Heritage Council's Standing Committee on Architecture (2000-2010)
• Member of Council RIAI 2016-2021
• Board Member Irish Architectural Archive

Deirdre Mc Dermott

Deirdre McDermott

  • Principal, Deirdre McDermott & Associates, 2000 – date
  • Associate Director, Urban Initiatives, 2000 – 2002
  • Associate, Brady Shipman Martin, 1994
Patricia Ohare

Dr Patricia O’Hare

  • Assessor, Heritage Council Museum Standards Programme for Ireland, 2016 – date
  • Research and Education Officer for Trustees, Muckross House, Killarney, CLG, 1995 – date
  • Director, Castleisland District Archaeological Survey, Castleisland District Development Association, 1985 -1993
John Pierce

John G Pierce

  • Trustee, Charitable Infirmary Charitable Trust, 2018 – date
  • Chair, An Taisce, 2017 – 2019
  • Director Portfolio & References Global Marketing, Fujitsu, 2016 - 2017
Sheila Pratschke

Sheila Pratschke

  • Chair, An Chomhairle Ealaíon/The Arts Council, 2014 – 2019
  • Director, Centre Culturel Irlandais, Paris, 2007 – 2013
  • Director, Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, 2001 - 2006
Mark Scott 2023

Prof. Mark Scott

  • Professor of Planning and Dean of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy in University College Dublin. 
  • 25 years+ experience as a researcher, focusing on the environmental and sustainability dimensions of spatial planning, land-use governance, climate action and the built environment, and green infrastructure and biodiversity.
  • Previously acted as an Advisor on spatial planning to the OECD, the Oireachtas, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the UK’s House of Lords, and various regional and local planning authorities.
Mary Tubridy

Dr Mary Tubridy

  • Principal, Mary Tubridy and Associates, 1995 - date
  • Director, Head of Research, Irish Uplands Forum