The new director of the Belltable Arts Centre in Limerick will emphasise the community and education aspects of the arts during her three-year term of office.
Liz Culloty, who took up her post this week, will also have to prepare to move to a new location after the lease on the present Georgian building in O'Connell Street runs out.
From Tralee, Co Kerry, she has worked in the arts over the past 10 years, including a stint with the Arts Council, after graduating from UCD with a degree in history and politics and going on to do a diploma in arts administration.
She is a former project manager with the North Leitrim Glens Development Company and also a former arts officer with Kerry County Council, where she worked on the Samhliocht Chiarrai arts festival and with Siamsa Tire, the national folk theatre.
Back in Limerick, having been employed as the company manager for Island Theatre Co four years ago, she emphasises the dynamism of the arts scene outside Dublin.
"It is almost as if we do not need to look to Dublin for the nod any more," she says.
With more funding available, and local authorities looking benignly on arts activities, it is a better time for the sector. "The more recent history of availability of funding is like a breath of fresh air to what was otherwise a very, very hard-pressed sector."
But she says there are "strong competitive forces" to contend with. "People can choose to go to a pub. They can choose to stay at home and watch a video."
The new Belltable, she adds, will need to have a purpose-built interior, to be "a multi-configurative theatre", which can be adapted to every form of theatre, have a striking visual arts space and allow for more music and film. "The plan is to be much more ambitious," she says.