Lives of Donna and Joe McCaul now, 20 years after famous Eurovision appearance

Irish Daily Mirror

14-05-2025

It's been two decades since Donna and Joe McCaul flew the flag for Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The brother and sister duo appeared at the 2005 contest in Kyiv in Ukraine after victory on the TV show You're a Star, performing their song, titled Love?
Unfortunately, as has been the case for many of Ireland's recent Eurovision participants, Donna and Joe didn't make it through to the grand final and have since embarked on individual career paths, reports RSVP Live.
In 2013, Donna relocated to Los Angeles, where she has lived ever since.
She continues to sing and is a member of a group called Identity Theft The Band.
Last year, she expressed her desire to grace the Eurovision stage once more, this time with her band.
"I want to do it with the experience I got throughout the years, from doing music, different shows and learning about myself vocally and musically," she revealed to RSVP Live.
"This time around, it would be writing my own song with my band. It's our own genre that we would want to bring to the stage."
In 2017, Donna disclosed that she needed to undergo preventative cancer surgery in the US and set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs, explaining that she required removal of cysts from her breasts and ovaries.
In her fundraising appeal, she stated: "My doctors in the US said I need to get these operations done now rather than later. The breast surgery costs $21,000 and operation on my ovaries is another $21,000. I have to pay for scans as well, and that's how I came up with a $50,000 figure.
"If people want to donate and help, I would be so grateful. It's 100 per cent for medical reasons. I would never make this appeal if I wasn't in a situation where I had do it."
Joe McCaul has mostly retreated from the spotlight since his Eurovision appearance but remains dedicated to music through teaching.
The vocalist made a name for himself with a stint on The X Factor in 2015, progressing as far as bootcamp and the Six Chair Challenge before he was eliminated.
Joe has also had to deal with some health issues and opened up about his multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2014.
"My world crumbled around me," he told the Irish Independent. "I was crying and the doctors just left me be."
"When I got the news nothing made any sense. I couldn't see a life for myself. When I think MS I only see a wheelchair. I'm still coming to terms with it," he said at the time.
"I can either lie down under it or get up and go. When people say to me, but you've got MS, I say, MS hasn't got me. I love to party and I'm living for now. I'm not thinking about what next year has to offer."
Last year, Donna told RSVP Live that once was enough for Joe as far as the Eurovision is concerned but that her brother is a constant source of support.
"Joe has stepped back from that. He's teaching music in a college in Dublin," she said.
"I don't think he has any interest in going back. I think the first time was enough for him.
"He's very supportive. He always says, 'Go for it. It's your dream'."