Donna & Joe

Early Life and Musical Start

Donna McCaul and her younger brother Joe McCaul are an Irish singing duo from Athlone, County Westmeath. Donna was born in 1984 and Joe in 1989. They grew up in a family of six children and began performing at a young age in their hometown. Donna started singing as a teenager – she toured with a local band and even won a teen pop competition at 18, recording a covers album in her hometown studio. In 2005, the siblings entered You’re a Star, Ireland’s televised talent show. They impressed the nation by singing “Amazing Grace” in the auditions. Irish viewers voted for them to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest that year. In the You’re a Star final, Donna and Joe won first place after a public vote.

Eurovision Song Contest 2005

Donna and Joe represented Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Kyiv, Ukraine. They performed a lively pop song called “Love?” on 19 May 2005. At the time, Donna was 21 and Joe was only 16, making them one of Ireland’s youngest Eurovision acts ever. Because Ireland had not qualified the previous year, the duo had to compete in the semi-final rather than directly in the final.  They finished 14th in the semi-final with 53 points and did not advance to the grand final. The siblings were disappointed with the result. Joe, who was still a teenager, later admitted he felt embarrassed and stayed in his hotel instead of attending the finalist events. After the contest, Donna and Joe returned to Ireland and appeared on Irish TV programs to talk about their Eurovision experience.

Life After Eurovision

The McCauls enjoyed a burst of national fame following Eurovision. In 2006, they appeared on The Podge and Rodge Show and released a new single, though the TV hosts famously cut to commercials during their performance. In 2008, the duo participated in the RTÉ reality show Fáilte Towers, working in a hotel for charity. They even raised over €30,000 for a depression support charity during the show. That same year, they guest-hosted an episode of Podge and Rodge, where Donna co-presented and Joe gave a humorous on-air performance. Over time, Donna and Joe began pursuing separate paths.

Donna

Donna focused on her solo music career. She performed as a backing singer in Malta’s Eurovision selection in 2011 and released her own songs. In 2012, she tried to return to Eurovision as a solo artist; her song “Mercy” placed third in the Irish national final. A few years later, Donna set her sights on America. In 2015, she moved to Los Angeles and even reached the blind audition stage on The Voice USA. In California, Donna continued to sing professionally. She became the lead singer of an LA-based pop/rock band (first called Weekend Celebrity and later Identity Thief) and has lived in Los Angeles since 2015. With her band, she performs regularly at venues in LA and has been working on original music – they plan to release an album.

Joe

Meanwhile, Joe McCaul stayed active in entertainment in Ireland. He began hosting a weekly radio show on Athlone Community Radio, connecting with the local community through music. Joe also pursued another shot at stardom by auditioning for The X Factor UK. In 2015, he made it through the arena auditions and into the bootcamp round of The X Factor, impressing the judges with his vocals. Although he didn’t reach the live shows, Joe later said he was relieved and grateful for the experience. Today, he continues to sing at events and remains a beloved local personality in Athlone.

Personal Life

Donna and Joe have shared not only music but also personal growth with their fans. In 2008, Donna McCaul came out publicly as lesbian, becoming one of the highest-profile Irish singers at the time to do so. She has since embraced her role as an LGBTQ figure in the music scene. In November 2020, Donna married her long-time girlfriend, Shanna Bartholomew, in Los Angeles. Shanna even took the McCaul name after their wedding. Donna has been open about her happiness and often shares updates about her life in LA, where she still works in music and plans trips back to Ireland.

Joe McCaul was only 17 during Eurovision 2005, and he has spoken about the emotional difficulties he faced after their Eurovision loss – he felt a deep sense of shame and rejection at the time. Despite those early challenges, Joe has remained resilient and passionate about music. He prefers a quieter life out of the major spotlight, focusing on his radio career and personal well-being.