Cork jazz festival director Dunphy axed from role

The news comes just days after the festival won a top award at the Cork Business Association (CBA) annual awards.

Ms Dunphy confirmed last night that she is not continuing in the role, adding: “Regrettably, I am not allowed to comment about the situation.”

Diageo did not answer questions about why the contract was terminated, but issued a statement confirming that Ms Dunphy “will not be involved” in the 2019 festival.

“On behalf of Diageo, the festival committee, the venues, and the artists, we would like to thank Sinéad for her contribution to the Guinness Cork Jazz festival over the past year,” a spokesperson said.

The festival continued to grow and develop and we wish to maintain the momentum achieved over the past number of years to deliver another great event this October.

The statement said Diageo is committed to continuing with the partnerships to deliver a world-class event again this year.

Last October’s jazz festival was Ms Dunphy’s first at the helm. Just nine months into her role, she delivered an event widely regarded as one of the most successful in a decade, with an estimated 60,000 people attending over the bank holiday weekend.

It included a New Orleans-inspired ‘day of the dead’ musical parade through the city streets, performances by some 1,000 musicians from more than 20 countries in venues across the city, and dozens of marching bands on the streets.

Last week, the CBA named the festival the Cork Business of the Year in the large category. It is worth an estimated €45m to the regional economy annually.

An award-winning arts professional, Ms Dunphy previously managed Cork’s longest-running festival, the Cork International Choral Festival.

She also previously was named Business Woman of the Year in the Arts by the Network Cork organisation.