Cultural Spaces & Festivals

Ever been to a museum, a gallery, or a festival like Electric Picnic or Culture Night? Someone had to plan, fund, promote, and run every part of it. The people working in this sector are behind Ireland’s museums, galleries, arts centres, and festivals — from small local events to internationally recognised ones. It’s a mix of creative, technical, and business-minded roles, and they exist in every county across the country!

Examples of jobs in this sector

Festival & Event Producer

Leads the planning and delivery of a festival or event programme.
Possible Pathway Higher/Further Education in event management, combined with experience built at a local level first.

Curator (Festival, Gallery & Museum)

Researches, selects, and develops exhibitions and programmes for a gallery, museum, or festival.
Possible Pathway A relevant Higher Education degree, followed by gallery or museum work experience.

Museum Education & Outreach Officer

Designs and delivers learning programmes that help school groups, families, and the public engage with a museum’s collection.
Possible Pathway Work Experience — a TY placement at somewhere like a local gallery, the National Gallery, The Crawford Art Gallery, or The Ark helps to build experience and a network, before gaining a relevant qualification

Marketing & Communications Manager

Manages audience-building, branding, and digital promotion for a venue, museum, or festival.
Possible Pathway Higher/Further Education in marketing, or Transferable Skills like running a school or club’s social media.

Local Authority Arts Officer

A public-sector role based in a county council, developing arts and cultural strategy for the whole county. All 31 local authorities in Ireland have an Arts Office.
Possible Pathway A Higher Education degree in arts administration, or gaining experience with a local arts organisation first.

Technical/Production Crew

Sets up and runs the technical side of events, galleries, and museum exhibitions (sound, lighting, and installation work).
Possible Pathway Work Experience, or a Further Education production/technical course — many start by gaining experience at local festivals.

Finance & Administration Officer

Manages budgets, invoices, and day-to-day financial administration for an arts or cultural organisation.
Possible Pathway A Further/Higher Education qualification in accounting or business.

Possible Pathways into this sector

Look at Higher Education options
Think about a course in arts or events management: many universities offer these, for eg: BA in Arts Management at IADT, Dún Laoghaire (Dublin), BA (Hons) in Music and the Live Events Industry at TUS, Athlone (Co. Westmeath) or start with a business or humanities degree and then do an MA in Arts Management & Creative Producing at UCC, Cork.
Look at Further Education options
Many FE colleges offer courses in event management, business or tourism. You can also do an apprenticeship in something like digital marketing. Search online or ask your nearest college.
Think about work experience
Some cultural spaces and festivals run specific work experience programmes:Electric Picnic (Stradbally, Co. Laois) runs a Volunteer Network across the festival. National Gallery of Ireland has a Transition Year/Youth Work Experience placement for 15–17-year-olds, as does the The Ark children’s cultural space in Dublin. Galway Film Fleadh runs Generation Fleadh, its youth programme for ages 12–24. Keep an eye on the programme for Dublin International Film Festival and Cork International Film Festival, both have dedicated initiatives for young people, and DIFF runs an ‘Access All Areas’ careers event.
Transferable Skills / Local Experience
Help organise a school event, a GAA club fundraiser, a local festival, or a Tidy Towns campaign.

Free Online Tools to Practise With

Canva free event posters and graphics
Google Arts & Culture explore museum collections online
Eventbrite learn how event listings and ticketing work

Example Irish Organisations

Kilkenny Arts Festival · Galway International Arts Festival · Cork Midsummer Festival · Baboró International Arts Festival for Children (Galway) · Dublin International Film Festival · Earagail Arts Festival (Letterkenny, Co. Donegal) National Museum of Ireland · National Gallery of Ireland · Crawford Art Gallery (Cork) · Hunt Museum (Limerick) · The Model (Sligo) · Highlanes Gallery (Drogheda) · Lismore Castle Arts (Waterford) The Ark (Dublin) · National Concert Hall (Dublin) · your local Arts Office · An Taibhdhearc (Galway)