Paul McDonnell is a classically-trained percussionist who started his career deputising with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland before rising over the course of six years to the rank of Sub-Principal Percussion with the RTE Concert Orchestra. During that time he was also a performer with a number of groups, most notably as the drummer with ska/rock band The Pale and as percussionist with folk/rock act Hada To Hada. 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 of Riverdance.

Paul began composing to picture in the late 1990s with the short movie “The Very Stuff”, directed by Lisa Mulcahy. Since then he has composed soundtracks for two feature films, many short movies, two TV dramas, commercials and theatre productions. He has worked with directors such as Aisling Walsh, Marion Comer, Peter Sheridan, Conor McMahon and Colm McCarthy, with whom he won the Best Soundtrack Award at the Bordeaux Film Festival 2003 for “The Making of a Prodigy”. In the same year his work with Guna Nua theatre company’s “Skin Deep” was nominated for two ESB/Irish Times Theatre Awards.

In 2018, Paul started the solo studio-based project “A Band Called Paul” which combines indie rock with latin jazz, world music and electronica. He has released one album and 15 singles to date, including three collaborations American rapper Joel I.D. and two with English rock musician GLU. In 2022 he was nominated as Best International Male Artist in the UK’s Radio Wigwam Awards and was selected twice in succession by Tom Robinson for inclusion on the BBC Radio 6 programme “BBC Introducing”. His work has been featured in both Hot Press and Totally Dublin magazines.

Most recently, in 2023, Paul commenced on a Masters Degree programme in Scoring for Film, TV and Interactive Media at Pulse College in Dublin to upskill in contemporary approaches and technologies, and to adapt to a changing marketplace. He graduated in October 2024 with first class honours and is currently a guest lecturer to 2nd and 3rd year BA students at Pulse College on various aspects of composition and music production.