Noelie McDonnell

Noelie McDonnell is an Irish singer-songwriter from Tuam, County Galway. A former secondary school teacher, he began recording music in the mid-2000s and was described by Irish music magazine Hot Press as "a hybrid of John Prine, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan".^[1] He released his debut EP in 2004, followed by three solo albums between 2005 and 2009. In 2012, McDonnell, Noriana Kennedy, and Nicola Joyce co-founded the folk band The Whileaways, which has released four studio albums between 2013 and 2022. In 2013, he became a member of the short-lived "supergroup" The Cabin Collective, and in 2024 he became a member of Tuam-based folk-rock band The Saw Doctors.

A former secondary school teacher at St Patrick's College, Tuam,^[2] McDonnell began releasing music in the mid-2000s and toured as a support act for The Saw Doctors.^[3] His debut release was an EP entitled Downhome in 2004. He released his self-titled debut album in 2005 and his second album, Beyond Hard Places, in 2008. A song from his second album, "Nearly Four," reached number 15 in the Irish singles chart.^[2] His third and most recent solo album, Come Alive, appeared in 2009.^[3]

In 2012, with Noriana Kennedy and Nicola Joyce, McDonnell co-founded the folk band The Whileaways.^[3][4] Their self-titled debut album appeared in 2013, followed by the albums Saltwater Kisses (2015), From What We're Made (2018), and In All Honesty (2022).^[5][6][7] The Whileaways also became known for their show Bird on the Wire, a collaboration with Pauline Scanlon, featuring the songs of Leonard Cohen.^[8]

In 2013, McDonnell became a member of the short-lived nine-man "supergroup" The Cabin Collective that also included members of The Saw Doctors and former members of The Waterboys.^[9][3] in 2024, he became a member of The Saw Doctors as a guitarist and backing vocalist.^[10]

• Interview with Noelie by Bryan Kremkau