Gallery defends director’s top-up pay

The National Gallery has defended a €40,000 top-up payment made to its director which is funded through its earnings from the royalties of George Bernard Shaw.

The playwright bequeathed one third of his royalties to the gallery in the 1950s, which became a significant source of funding, particularly from the play Pygmalion which was turned into the cinema production My Fair Lady.

This money is being used to fund the €40,000 top-up to Sean Rainbird — who was appointed in Nov 2009 — on top of his €99,236 salary.