Culture Night Ambassadors 2026
This year’s Culture Night is proudly represented by a series of inspiring ambassadors: Djamel White, Andrea Horan, Paul Galvin and Máire Ní Churraoin. Together, they bring creativity, heritage, and innovation to the spotlight, helping to share Culture Night’s unique vibe with audiences across Ireland
Djamel White
Djamel White’s long road to publication is both moving and inspiring. Djamel left secondary school at the age of 17 and was dealing with lots of problems at home, he managed to fight his way out and enrolled in a community training programme for early school leavers. From there he found people who believed and respected him, propelling him to go to university at the age of 21. There, he earned a BA in English and Creative Writing, and an MFA in Creative Writing, both from University College Dublin, where he was mentored by writers such as Declan Hughes, Sarah Moss and Anne Enright. During this time, he worked with Irish non-profit literary organisation Fighting Words, established by Roddy Doyle in 2009, that sparked his belief that one day he could become a writer. All Them Dogs is his debut novel.
ANDREA HORAN
Andrea Horan is the founder of Dublin nail mecca Tropical Popical and previously has founded projects like The Hunreal Issues & No More Hotels. She has an interest in throwing glitter on issues without minimising them which led her to co-present podcasts Don’t Stop Repealin’ and United Ireland. She is currently on the board of Poz Vibe, a not-for-profit organisation on a mission to quash shame around HIV and eradicate new acquisitions of HIV in Ireland.
She worked in strategic communications for 15 years in Thinkhouse and Edelman and gave a Tedx talk on ‘Escaping the Economy of More’ that informs her own mindset daily. She continues to pursue her love of communications with select projects, specifically in the arts and theatre. The project she’s most proud of is the exhibition ‘ReNAILssance’ she produced with and in the National Gallery of Ireland. She was awarded the Irish Tatler Woman of the Year 2019 in the Influence category. She is obsessed with Dublin and campaigns on its many issues regularly.
PAUL GALVIN
Paul is from north County Kerry, a former GAA player with the county in both hurling and footballer. He has written two books, his autobiography, In My Own Words, and THREADS – Clothes and the Irishman, a woven history. He has worked in partnership with Dunnes Stores for the last 12 years on his eponymous clothing brand built on cultural storytelling, referencing Irish art, literature, architecture, language, history , geography and sport in the process. Paul also works with GAA clubs designing and making clubwear based on club story.
MÁIRE NÍ CHURRAOIN
Máire Ní Churraoin is a native Irish speaker, sean-nós singer and Gaeilge content creator from Ráth Chairn, Co. Meath. A passionate advocate for the Irish language and Gaeltacht culture, Máire uses music, television and social media to celebrate and share Gaeilge with audiences at home and abroad.
ONE NIGHT FOR ALL
