Nessa O'Mahony has been appointed to the post of head of public affairs at the Arts Council, writes Emer McNamara. O'Mahony is a poet and broadcaster, and has worked for seven years as public relations officer for the Irish Insurance Federation. Examining the brief, it would seem O'Mahony has her work cut out for her, since the post involves information and communication, budget management (for communications) policy development and the day-to-day management of the council's communications staff. The post also involves "the development, and implementation by all senior staff of new systems of communication with clients of the Arts Council, in the implementation of new grant structures which will follow the implementation of the second Arts Plan". Sounds suspiciously like finding new ways to say no.

So, what is the mood on the ground regarding the Arts Council's current communication methods, and the proposed changes under O'Mahony? "You can email, you can phone, you can fax, you can send a letter or you can leave a message on voicemail, so we now have no less than five ways to get to them," responds Mary Coll, director of The Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick. "It seems to me, however much you bombard the Arts Council officers, there is just no way they can deal with the increase in their own workload. No matter how good their intentions are, how can one person deal with the whole country? Perhaps the Arts Council should consider increasing personnel as well as decentralising to assist with their communication difficulties?"

Traolach O Fionnain, Donegal Arts Officer, greeted the news of O'Mahony's appointment with a succinct "Oh?": adding "I don't see how this appointment is going to improve the current situation. It's practically impossible these days to get a one-on-one meeting with individual officers in the Arts Council. They need to hire more support staff internally to deal with the client workload, rather than worrying about their public relations." Poet Theo Dorgan, while delighted to see a working writer employed by the Arts Council, feels the Arts Council's communications needs might best be served by highlighting the huge range of services provided on the ground by its clients.

"I'm dubious about the concept of the Arts Council promoting itself. While it obviously needs to engage with the higher echelons of the State to make a case for funding, it also needs to strengthen its communication to the arts sector. We need to know clearly why certain funding decisions are made, and the rationale behind the Arts Council's overall strategic planning." O'Mahony takes up her position on May 10th. Judging by the rumbling in the sector, more than blank verse will be needed to save the day.