Our People

Richard Dixon
Director of Draíocht’s Board since November 2019
Richard Dixon was an early volunteer with the community radio station Phoenix FM (which served Dublin 15 in the late 1980s) and Anna Livia FM (a special interest radio station serving Dublin) and those experiences gave him a real taste for the incredible strength when community action and art combine. In 2018, he was a host for Draíocht’s Home Theatre Ireland initiative and greatly enjoyed the experience (and was overwhelmed by the skill shown by the artists in making the event possible). Richard worked for Concern, the international aid organisation, for almost 30 years, mainly in the area of fundraising and communications, before joining the public sector in early 2021. He has regularly spoken at conferences and on the media about charity regulation, transparency and accountability. He served on the boards of ICTR and Charities Institute Ireland, two representative bodies for Irish charities. He lives in Hollystown with his wife and three daughters. He is a true believer in Roald Dahl’s comment – those who don’t believe in magic will never find it!

Declan Gorman
Director of Draíocht’s Board since 27 August 2014
Declan Gorman is a freelance playwright, performer and theatre director who has also specialised in arts policy. He has recently led public arts projects funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (at Killesher, Fermanagh) and the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation (Creative Spark, Dundalk). From 1997 to 2010 he was Artistic Director of Upstate Theatre Project, Drogheda and was writer-facilitator on several Upstate Community Projects. In 1995-96 he was Coordinator of the Arts Council's year-long Review of Theatre in Ireland. Prior to that he was Theatre Director at Dublin’s City Arts Centre and a co-founder and performer with Co-Motion Theatre Company, Dublin. In the past, he has provided policy advice, reports and papers to several local authorities and arts bodies including Fingal, South Dublin, Meath and Louth County Councils; CREATE, the National Association for Youth Drama, Theatre Forum Ireland and Fatima Groups United. Recent freelance work has included writing and directing two large scale public art drama projects in his native County Monaghan, The Common People and I Love Mullaghmatt, as well as directing the European premiere of The Hijabi Monologues, a co-production of Axis Arts Centre, Dublin; The British Council and The Immigrant Council of Ireland. Declan continues to tour occasionally within Ireland and overseas with his one-man show The Dubliners Dilemma, based on 'Dubliners' by James Joyce. Holder of an M.Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College, he has published short fiction and journalistic articles and will soon complete work on his first novel, set in a fictional community in North County Dublin.

Councillor Howard Mahony
Director of Draíocht’s Board since November 2019
“I am a Councillor on Fingal County Council representing the Castleknock Local Electoral Area since 2016. I am currently Chairman of the Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart/Castleknock/Ongar Area Committee, the Economic, Enterprise and Tourism Strategic Policy Committee, the County Heritage Forum and a number of School Boards of Management. I was a Member of An Garda Siochana attached to the Special Detective Unit in Harcourt Square, Finglas Garda Station and the Garda Band. I am a member of Blanchardstown Brass Band and have been a committed Community Activist for over thirty years”.

Councillor Mary McCamley
Director of Draíocht’s Board since 24 October 2014
Mary McCamley lives in Mulhuddart and is a Councillor with Fingal County Council for the past 3 years working in the Mulhuddart Ward. A public servant all her working life, she retired from Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown (HSE) in 2012 where she spent many years as the Patient Services Officer where studied for a Degree in Health Management (Bsc) from Trinity. She has a keen interest in the arts having grown up adjacent to the Father Matthew Hall, Church Street, Dublin 7, where her father was Volunteer Stage Manager for nearly 40 years and where hundreds of amateur theatrical performances took place. She has been at one time a member of writing groups and has recently taken up art classes (water colours) - both resulting in abysmal attempts. She works as a Councillor in the community and is chair of the Mulhuddart Community Centre and a Board Member of Huntstown Community Centre and also a Board Member of her local Riversdale Community School. As a member of a political party she takes a great interest in political and social issues.

Maureen Penrose
Director of Draíocht’s Board since November 2019.
Maureen has lived in Sheepmoor for the past 40 years. She has always been active in the local community in both a voluntary and a paid capacity. She worked for many years with traveller children. For the past 20 years, up to retirement, Maureen worked in Community Drugs / Addiction Services. She has been involved with many community projects and is currently a Board Member at the Neighbourhood Youth Project, the Dublin 15 Community Drugs Team, Blanchardstown Centre for Independent Living and the Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force. She was Secretary of the Blanchardstown Family Support Network and still is a Peer Group facilitator supporting families. She is Chairperson on the Board of Blanchardstown Community Training Centre. Maureen has four adult children, thirteen grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She is passionate about community, inclusion, the Arts in all their forms, the underdog. Since her retirement, Maureen has completed the first year of her four-year degree in Drama and Theatre in Trinity College. She thinks Draíocht is well named. Magic!