The Knight of Glin, Mr Desmond Fitzgerald, and Dr Patrick Fottrell, former president of the National University of Ireland, Galway, have been appointed to the National Gallery of Ireland's board of governors.
The Minister for Arts, Tourism and Sport, Mr O'Donoghue, said he was delighted to appoint two individuals who had added significantly to Irish society and culture. "Desmond Fitzgerald, Knight of Glin, and Dr Patrick Fottrell will make an enormous contribution to the work of the National Gallery of Ireland and its importance as a major national cultural institution," he said.
Mr Fitzgerald and Dr Fottrell will serve on the board of governors and guardians for five years.
Mr Fitzgerald, an expert on Irish art, is president of the Irish Georgian Society. Dr Fottrell of Youghal, Co Cork, was visiting professor of biochemistry at NUI Galway in the 1970s.