SCOTLAND’S Irish community will welcome fellow countryman Fergus Linehan this week as he takes up the role of Director of the Edinburgh International Festival.
The Dublin-native, a former director of both the Dublin Theatre Festival and more recently the Sydney Festival, has relocated to the Scottish capital from Australia to take up the role.
“I am delighted and deeply honoured to have been appointed as the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival” he said.
“I look forward to safeguarding the founding principles of the festival in ways which are engaging and relevant to all,” he added
The 43-year-old, whose mother is actress Rosaleen Linehan, will be welcomed into the city with a special reception held at the Consulate General of Ireland on October 24, in partnership the Irish Business Network (IBN) of Scotland.
Host Pat Bourne, Consul General of Ireland to Scotland, claims the event will welcome Linehan and “provide an opportunity for key contacts to meet and get to know him”.
After being appointed IEF Director on a part-time basis in May 2013, Linehan takes up the full time roles of Festival Director and Chief Executive of the Festival this month.
He is the first Irish person to been appointed to the role, but has a proven track record on the international festival scene - having grown and developed both the Sydney Festival and the Dublin equivalent.
His new post will run until at least 2019, the EIF have confirmed.
