Paul McDonnell
A former Sub-Principal Percussionist with the RTE Concert Orchestra and Deputy Percussionist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Paul has been composing music to picture and for live performance since 1997. He has worked with directors such as Aisling Walsh, Colm McCarthy, Marion Comer, Peter Sheridan and Conor McMahon.
He has completed two feature films, numerous short films, a selection of productions with Guna Nua theatre company, title music for Young People's TV programmes and commercials for brands such as Avonmore, Irish Permanent and Sony.
In 2003, his score for Colm McCarthy's “The Making of a Prodigy” won the Best Soundtrack award at the Bordeaux Film Festival. In the same year, his collaboration on the theatre production “Skin Deep” won the Stewart Parker award and was nominated for two Irish Times / ESB theatre awards.
As a performer Paul has been a member of various folk and rock bands, most notably ska-rock band The Pale with whom he toured for years in the 1990s. He has performed and recorded with many industry luminaries such as Elmer Bernstein, Ron Goodwin, Jimmy Webb, Paddy McAloon (Prefab Sprout), Midge Ure and Bill Whelan (Riverdance) to name but a few.
In recent years, Paul founded “A Band Called Paul” which combines indie rock with latin jazz, world music and electronica. He has released one album and 14 singles to date. In 2022 he was nominated as Best International Male Artist in the UK's Radio Wigwam Awards 2022 and was selected twice in succession by Tom Robinson for inclusion on the BBC Radio 6 programme "BBC Introducing". His work been featured in both Hot Press and Totally Dublin magazines.