Meet The Team
FESTIVAL TEAM //
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR // BRYAN PEPPER // bryan@westival.ie

Bryan (BK) Pepper (He/Him), a composer and creative producer, who’s delighted to be part of the Westival team this year as Festival Director.
Bryan composes music for film and screen, and works as a creative producer on theatre, film, and festival projects.
He’s passionate about creating spaces where art and community meet — and he can’t wait for the festival to kick off because there’s an amazing lineup ahead!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS //
FESTIVAL CHAIR // PATRICK HUGHES // chair@westival.ie

Patrick’s career culminated when he ran Las Vegas’ busiest tourist destination as the CEO of the Fremont Street Experience (FSE), a six-city block entertainment district in the heart of the Downtown. The mandate at FSE was to drive visitation by producing festivals and large-scale events that attracted 20+ million visitors annually.
After returning to Ireland and establishing their new home in Westport, Nikki and Patrick opened a Thai Noodle Bar in the heart of Bridge Street which is Patrick’s pseudo-office where fresh Thai food is served and the Wonders of Westival are created.
Bríd Conroy owns and manages Tertulia Bookshop at the Quay in Westport. Tertulia, a bookshop like no other! is a magical place located in Westport, County Mayo. For book lovers, film lovers, Harry Potter fans, Tertulia is a place to relax, enjoy a cup of coffee, meet old friends and new, chat about books and so much more. The mission of Tertulia is to contribute to a positive change in the way the world thinks. The vision of Tertulia is to live in a world where every story matters, to live in a world that understands that (our) stories are interconnected. It is this understanding that can help make our world a more equal society. Bríd also has a background in Finance and joined the Board of Westival 3 years ago in the role of Company Secretary and Treasurer.
FESTIVAL BOARD // PADRAIC MCMAHON
Padraic McMahon lives in Lecanvey with his wife and two children. He is hugely passionate about the arts and technology, having a professional background in the Entertainment industry as an artist, and in the Tech industry, where he has worked for companies such as Google, LinkedIn, and HubSpot. He is currently Head of Growth for the Irish retail group of Carraig Donn and Aran Woollen Mills.
FESTIVAL BOARD // FIONA WILDE
Fiona Wilde (they/them)
Fiona is a writer of romance novels with a lifelong love of live music and literature. Since moving to Westport, they’ve become actively involved in the local arts and community scene, and is co-chair of the Mayo Pride Festival board. Alongside a 25-year career in local government, focussed on communication and equality, diversity & inclusion, Fiona brings experience in funding, events, and community engagement to the Westival board.
FESTIVAL BOARD // PAUL FITZGERALD
Manager of the Buckfield Inn in Kilmeena. Paul spent many previous years in the DJ/Event space. He's been involved with organizing and performing in House Music events in Ireland, USA and Canada and is very excited to be a part of Westival this year.