WriterRoddy Doyle has been appointed to a revamped Irish Film Board by Irish Arts andHeritage minister Sile de Valera. The new board was announced after amonth-long vacuum, which arose when the remit of the last board members ran outon January 15.

Doyle has awriting and producing credit on the Film Board-backed When Brendan Met Trudywhich is soon to be released in Ireland. The film is his fourth feature after TheCommitments, The Snapper and The Van.

The othernewcomers joining Doyle on the seven-member board are: documentary film-makerAlan Gilsenan, film and TV producer and Film Institute of Ireland chair, MarthaO'Neill, and cultural historian Margaret McCarthy McIntyre.

The Ministerthanked outgoing members Gabriel Byrne, Mary Alleguen, Nuala Moiselle, and MickHannigan for their commitment over their five-year term. Three board membersremain in place for another term: entertainment industry accountant and boardChairman, Ossie Kilkenny; Ann O'Connell,co-author of the 1992 Coopers and Lybrand report on the Irish indigenous audiovisual production industry who hasbeen a member since the Board's reactivation in 1993; and producer and formermanaging director of Ardmore Studios. Morgan O'Sullivan.

Reaction fromthe Irish production industry indicated concern as to whether the new Boardwould be able to secure the IR£9.5million annual budget which it had beenpromised by government but has yet to be delivered.