New director announced for Irish College in Paris

The current director of the Mermaid Arts Centre in Co Wicklow has been named as the new head of the  Irish College in Paris. Nora Hickey will replace Sheila Pratschke as director of the Centre Culturel Irlandais in September 2013.

The college has been at the heart of Irish cultural activities in the French capital for over 10 years as well as serving as an accommodation centre for students, artists, researchers and visitors to Paris.

Commenting on the move, Nora Hickey said she was delighted to have been selected by the board, saying her experience in fostering new and established artists at the Mermaid Centre will benefit her in her new role.

'Ireland has a wealth of exceptional artists and performers and I have enjoyed working closely with many of them, bringing their work to Wicklow and Dublin audiences at Mermaid,' she said, 'I look forward now to presenting the best of Ireland’s artistic achievements at an international level and sharing my passion for Irish arts with a wide international audience.'

Chairperson of the board, Doireann Ni Bhriain said, 'We are delighted to appoint Nora Hickey to the role of Director. Her professional experience and success to date along with her excellent fluency in French fit her very well for the role, and we look forward to seeing her apply her talents and her vision to this next phase of the development of the Centre Culturel.'

Full details of the cultural programme at the Centre Culturel Irlandais can be found here. 

Categories: Paris, Irish, Culture