Arts minister Heather Humphreys has defended appointing a former Fine Gael election candidate to a state board even though he did not apply for the position.

Minister Humphreys appointed Donegal council candidate John McNulty to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Mr McNulty, who is running in the Seanad by-election for Fine Gael, was given the unpaid role by Minister Humphreys six days before filing paperwork to run for the seat on the Seanad's Cultural panel, which requires candidates to have experience in the cultural arena.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Arts said Minister Humphreys is not required to follow an open appointments process and can appoint outside candidates, even if they are not among the people applying for state positions.

The Arts Minister admitted that Mr McNulty did not apply for the position, but defended the appointment.

In a statement, Minister Humphreys' department said the board of directors needed to have regional and gender balance and that Mr McNulty had the appropriate skills and experience for the job.

It said Mr McNulty had experience running cultural and heritage events in his native Donegal, where he is also involved in the GAA and the Fleadh Ceoil.