Donna and Joseph McCaul
| Donna and Joe McCaul | |
|---|---|
| Born |
30 May 1984 (Donna) 1989 (Joe) |
| Origin | Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland |
| Genres | Euro-pop |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Members | Donna McCaul (vocals, dance), Joseph McCaul (vocals, dance) |
Donna and Joseph McCaul (born 30 May 1984 and 1989, respectively), also known as The McCauls, are a brother and sister musical duo who represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in Ukraine. They were not pre-qualified for the final, due to Ireland's result from the 2004 contest, which meant they took part in the semi-final on 19 May 2005.
The decision for Donna and Joe to represent Ireland was voted on by an Irish television audience and was announced on RTÉ's You're a Star on 6 March 2005. They sang Amazing Grace at an audition in Waterford to earn their place in the live national finals.
They were the first ever Irish act to take part in a Eurovision Song Contest semi-final. They went no further. They returned to Ireland and appeared as guests on The Podge and Rodge Show the following year.
Following their brief spell in the spotlight, they were contestants on the RTÉ reality series Fáilte Towers in 2008, and guest-presented an episode of The Podge and Rodge Show. Donna gained some further publicity when she declared she was a lesbian. She appeared in an RTÉ Christmas special with Katherine Lynch in 2008 and featured in an episode of Anonymous during which Bazil Ashmawy fooled her on television. Joe presents a Saturday show on Athlone Community Radio. Joe reached bootcamp in series 9 of The X Factor.
Donna and Joe McCaul were born in Athlone, County Westmeath. They were raised in a family of six children. Their parents are separated and their father, Gerry, left the family when Donna and Joe were very young. Donna experienced illnesses from a young age, and had her first panic attack when she was seven. She felt claustrophobia at school. She started her career by touring in a band with Doc Carroll. Her favourite song is From This Moment by Shania Twain. She sang at Our Lady's Bower Secondary in Athlone, and at the age of eighteen, was victorious in a competition called Teen Popstars. She recorded an album of cover versions at Rosemount Studios in Moate and released it locally.
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