Today we’d like to introduce you to Donnelle McKaskle.
Donnelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My involvement with Celtic culture really started with an interest in my own family history. My family has roots in both Ireland and Scotland, and as I began learning more about where my family came from, I became increasingly interested in the music, history, traditions, and culture connected to that heritage. The Celtic world is a really beautiful and enticing one full of drama and endless stories.
The music was and is a big part of that journey. For ten years, I hosted Celtic Storm on Austin’s KOOP 91.7 FM, which allowed me to explore Celtic music much more deeply and to meet some wonderful musicians and people in the Celtic community. I also started volunteering with the Austin Celtic Association at their annual Austin Celtic Festival in 1999.
I initially worked with the festival’s programming, and in 2003 I became Festival Director. I don’t think I could have imagined then that I would still be doing it more than two decades later!
Through a sister organization, the Celtic Cultural Center of Texas, I have produced other events for the community, including St. Patrick’s Day Austin, The Celtic Christmas at the Cathedral, a couple of plays, and other smaller events. The CCC was recently merged into the Austin Celtic Association, and some of those events I hope to relaunch with them soon.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, absolutely! There have been plenty of struggles along the way.
Weather has probably been one of our biggest challenges. We’ve dealt with torrential rain, extreme heat, cold, mud, and years when bad weather seriously affected attendance and our finances. When you’re a nonprofit organization producing an outdoor festival, one bad weekend can have an impact that lasts well beyond that year.
We’ve also had to move the festival several times over its history and essentially learn how to rebuild it in new locations. Of course, COVID came along and presented a completely different challenge. We were determined not to simply disappear, so we found ways to keep the festival and the organization going until we could gather together again.
The financial side is always a challenge too. We want to bring exceptional musicians and cultural artists to Austin, pay them fairly, and still keep ticket prices affordable for families. At the same time, the costs of producing a festival—insurance, security, sound, tents, equipment, permits, staffing and just about everything else—continue to increase.
Aging is becoming a challenge as most of us have been at this festival for 20 years. My staff really are the legs of the operation. I complete most of the festival organization tasks leading up to the weekend, and my incredible staff hits the ground running.
But there have been smooth times as well. We have learned a lot of best practices over the years. And we have also learned to relax and set accurate expectations, which keeps everyone calm and on task.
Over the last ten years, it’s always a notable moment when, after all the hubbub of getting the festival up and running, the radios on the field start to go quiet, signalling the festival has locked into gear and so begins that smooth course through the weekend.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
When I’m not working on the festival, I’ve always had a creative side that I enjoy exploring in different ways. Writing has probably been the most consistent road. I write poetry, short stories, children’s books, and over the years I’ve found writing gives me a very different kind of creative outlet from producing the Austin Celtic Festival. Last year I took a big step and self-published my first children’s chapter book, Bug Tussle. That was something I had wanted to do for quite a while. I’m now working on the second book, so that creative journey is continuing.
Festival work is creative in many ways. I have designed several festival T-shirts, our logos, ads, and worked with better artists than me to achieve creative results. I’ve been moving from hand-drawing to digital drawings in apps like Procreate.
I think storytelling is really the thread that connects a lot of the things I enjoy. Whether it’s writing poetry, creating characters and stories, researching my own family history, or helping present traditional music and culture through the Austin Celtic Festival, there’s something about preserving and sharing stories that has always appealed to me. That’s part of the Irish and Scottish DNA.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
There isn’t much that would surprise people about me; I am an open book and very chatty, so most know all there is to know.
Even though I work with a lot of outstanding professional performers, I myself do not like to be on stage or in the spotlight; I would much rather be in a supportive role. There is magic in getting extremely talented people together in one place and stepping back and watching the alchemy begin. Also, I am a big girl with a big personality, and I don’t want the Austin Celtic Festival to become personality-driven.
Occasionally, people are surprised to learn I am the youngest of eight siblings. Large families of that size are fairly unheard of these days. My father was a carpenter, and I was raised with brothers with similar skills that taught me a lot about carpentry, car repair, and home maintenance. I am a poster child for jack of all trades, master of none. The best advice I have been given is from that early life work, whose simple wisdom is incredibly useful for mounting major events like the Austin Celtic Festival, such as “the right tool makes the job easy”, “the best man on a job site is the one with the broom,” and the sage wisdom of “righty tighty, lefty loosy.”
Pricing:
- Adult tickets are 25.00
- Children tickets are 12.00
- Under 5 years of age get in free
- Weekend adult passes are 40.00
- Weekend Children passes are 20.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austincelticfestival.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austincelticfestival/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austincelticfestival
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@austincelticfestival4287
