| New York 2022 ISPA Congress– Eugene Downes |
 Eugene DownesCultural Director
Eugene Downes has served since 2019 as Cultural Director of the Irish Foreign Ministry. Eugene joined the Irish Diplomatic Service in 1994 and worked in Dublin and Moscow before moving into performing arts, presenting on Irish national radio (RTÉ) from 1999-2001. From 2000-07 he worked as cultural adviser to the Office of the President of Ireland, curating and producing the artistic programme for more than twenty State Visits and Events in Europe, Asia and Latin America. From 2007-12 Eugene served as the first CEO of Culture Ireland (the national agency for the promotion of Irish arts worldwide), and from 2013-18 as Artistic & Executive Director of Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland’s oldest multidisciplinary international festival. Eugene was a member of the Board of ISPA from 2012-18 and co-chaired the 2012 New York Congress. Speaker |
