St Patrick’s Festival man is Irish arts policy adviser

Published Thursday 18 January 2007 at 11:25 by Anthony Garvey

Irish arts minister John O’Donoghue has appointed a new arts policy consultant, his third in a little more than two years.

He is Donal Shiels, a 42-year-old Dubliner, knowledgeable and popular character on the arts scene. His role will be to act as a bridge between the minister and the arts community, offering both advice and a sympathetic ear. He takes over the job from Tony Sheehan, now artistic director of the Triskel Arts Centre in Cork. He, in turn, had succeeded Fiach MacConghail, now director of the Abbey Theatre.

Shiels comes from a showbusiness family - his father was a singer, his mother worked in wardrobe at the Gate and Gaiety theatres and his brother, Vincent, is a London-based actor. He spent ten years as company manager of Opera Ireland and is currently chief executive of Ireland’s largest arts event, the St Patrick’s Day Festival, which he will combine with his new post.

Theatre producer Richard Wakely, formerly of the Abbey, who worked with him on a China-Ireland cultural exchange programme, said most in the arts world would agree he was “the right man for the job”.

Also taking on new responsibilities is Swiss-born Diego Fasciati, who has been appointed executive producer of the Rough Magic theatre group in succession to Loughlin Deegan, now director of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Fasciati, who previously worked with Boston Lyric Opera, has lived in Ireland for the past six years, working with the arts council and the Opera Theatre Company.