About
Ormston House is a meeting place for the arts in the heart of Limerick City. Our programme is co-designed with artists and citizens, resulting in community partnerships, multi-annual projects and cultural events that are responsive to the city and its context. We have developed a participatory model to connect curatorial practice with local knowledge and activism.
Ormston House is part of the Irish Network Against Racism and the Public Participation Network. International connectivity is also key to our work, and we are active members of two European networks: Artists’ Initiatives Meetings and Trans Europe Halles. We are based at 9-10 Patrick Street, where we have a long-term lease with Limerick City & County Council. For further information, you can contact us at info@ormstonhouse.com.
Accessibility
Building history
The Team
Chris Boland
Technical Manager
Chris is an artist specialising in sculpture and fabrication techniques. He was a co-founder of Faber Studios under Creative Limerick, an initiative of the Economic Development Unit. He holds a BA in Fine Art from Limerick School of Art & Design where he also currently works, and a MA in History of Art and Architecture from the University of Limerick.
Niamh Brown
Curator
Niamh is a curator and producer. For our Creative Europe project, Artist-Run Network Europe, she is leading research on the social impact of the artist-run sector. She is interested in the connections between landscape, mythology and data infrastructure, and is currently developing new commissions with local and international artists
Mary Conlon
Artistic Director
Mary founded Ormston House in 2011, and negotiated the purchase and long-term lease of the property. She is a member of International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art. She sits on the Strategic Policy Committee for community and culture at Limerick City & County Council, and on the Executive Committee of Trans Europe Halles.
.
Sian Costello
Communications
Sian is a multidisciplinary artist operating out of a painter’s studio in Wickham Street Studios, Limerick City. Since graduating with a BA in Fine Art Painting from LSAD, she has had solo exhibitions at Courthouse Gallery, Sample Studios and Detroit Stockholm. She recently exhibited in Girls, Girls Girls curated by Simone Rocha at Lismore Castle.
Paddy Critchley Technician Paddy Critchley is an artist living and working in Limerick. He graduated with a BA in Fine Art Painting from LSAD, and has work in the permanent collections of Limerick City Gallery of Art and The Hunt Museum. As a technician, Paddy recently worked on the 39th edition of EVA International, as well as many other shows across Ireland.
Clara Laherty Front of House Clara is a writer and editor based in Limerick. She holds a BA in Arts with Creative Writing and an MA in English from the University of Galway. She has worked as Vice President of Arcbeatle Press, and her media criticism has been published in Strange Horizons and Imperica, among others. She also scores audio drama and film.
María José Mora Global Training Scheme María José is an art conservator specialising in contemporary art. She graduated in Restoration of Cultural Heritage from the University of Seville and Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Since finishing her MA in Conservation of Contemporary Art at the University of the Basque Country, she has worked as gallery assistant and art restorer around Spain.
Caimin Walsh Curator Caimin is a curator and musician. His current research focuses on the collective experience of music as a force for social and political change in Ireland. Caimin leads our River Residencies programme, connecting artists and communities along the River Shannon. He is an admirer of birds and a member of BirdWatch Ireland.
The Board
Olivia Chau
Board Director
Olivia is a youth worker at Limerick Youth Service and GOSHH. She has facilitated a range of social groups including young mothers and the LGBT+ community, and organised international training seminars on youth facilitation. Olivia is also a DJ & presenter. From 2010 to 2012, she co-founded Flip It TV, an online music channel, interviewing over 100 artists from across the globe.
Mary Cremin
Chairperson
Mary is Director of Void Gallery in Derry, Northern Ireland. In 2019, she commissioned The Shrinking Universe by Eva Rothschild for the Irish Pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, and The Long Note by Helen Cammock which was awarded the Turner Prize. She is a member of International Association of Curators of Contemporary Art.
Damien Flynn
Treasurer
Damien is a qualified chartered accountant. He has held finance positions in industry in the spaces of Property Finance and Education, prior to completing his training in Audit and Advisory. Since 2013, he has held the position of CFO with the Digital Marketing Institute, and was part of the senior management team who led the company in its acquisition by Spectrum Equity.
Stephen Kinsella
Board Director
Stephen is Professor of Economics at the University of Limerick, Senior Fellow at the Melbourne School of Government, University of Melbourne, and Research Associate at the Rhodes Centre for International Finance at Brown University. He is currently Chief Economics Writer for The Currency and was a columnist for four years with the Sunday Business Post.
Greg Leddin
Company Secretary
Greg is a solicitor based in Limerick City. He has worked in private practice, for the Office of the Attorney General and for the Central Bank of Ireland. He holds a BA in Corporate Law and an LLB from the National University of Ireland in Galway, and an LLM from Trinity College Dublin. He also teaches with the Law Society of Ireland and at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth.
MuRli
Board Director
MuRli is a rapper, producer and songwriter from Limerick. He is best known for his work as part of Rusangano Family and won Best Irish Album of 2016 with mynameisjOhn and God Knows at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Awards. MuRli has shared stages with local and international acts such as Girl Band, Snoop Dogg, Slow Moving Clouds, Run The Jewels and BadBadNotGood.
Jennifer Moroney-Ward
Board Director
Jennifer has over 16 years of senior management experience in the non-profit and NGO sector across citizens’ rights, community development and education. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Limerick and is skilled in facilities development, operations management and strategic planning.