Aodhán Mac Cormaic was born in Dublin and is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK, and Dublin City University, Ireland. He was awarded a Doctorate in Governance by Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2015. He has worked for almost 30 years in the Irish civil service, for most of that time in the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Aodhán has worked closely with numerous Government Ministers, including Éamon Ó Cuív and Síle De Valera, both grandchildren of Éamon De Valera. He also worked for a time with President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, during his term as Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht.