Donna and Joseph McCaul

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Donna and Joseph McCaul represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 which was hosted by Kiev, Ukraine. They were not pre-qualified for the final, due to the result of the 2004 entry, so they had to take part in the semi-final on 19 May 2005, they were the first Irish act ever to take part in a Eurovision Song Contest semi-final.

The decision for Donna and Joe to represent Ireland was voted on by Linda Martin, an Irish entertainer and previous Eurovision winner. It was officially announced on RTÉ's You're A Star on 6 March 2005 at 21:37 WET.

[edit] Donna and Joe

Donna and Joe Mc Caul are from Athlone, County Westmeath in Ireland. They grew up in a large family, being raised by their mother. Their father had left the family when Donna and Joe were very young. When they first tried out for You're a Star, Donna was gigging around Ireland with friend and father figure Doc Carroll of showband fame (Noted for the song Old Man Trouble). Joe was still in school, but had been performing and winning awards and admirers since he was a small boy. He successfully won ugly child of the year award while at school and was voted most annoying ginger at the age of 12, he also appeared in several spots over the years on RTÉ. Donna and Joe were great favorites in the eyes of the pensioners of Ireland throughout the Irish presentation of You're a Star in 2005. This allowed them to represent Ireland in the Eurovision song contest that year.

"Donna and Joe" was their stage name on the "Eurovision Song Contest - Kiev 2005" 2 disc album. Recently they have been billed as simply "The McCauls".

Their initial aim would have been to finish in the top ten at the semi-final, and thus qualify for the final on 21 May 2005. Despite being as little-known as the 2004 Eurovision Irish performer Chris Doran, Donna and Joe and the Irish audience were hoping that their lively song, which marked a radical departure from the country's traditional faith in Eurovision ballads would appeal to voters across the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) audience. However, this was not the case as the limelight of a campy song contest somehow got to their heads thinking they were actual musicians. This came across in their performance and the obnoxiousness was all too much for Europe and they were not voted through to the final.

As of 2007 Donna and Joe continue to scrape a "career" with small gigs around England and Ireland. They regularly seen busking on Grafton street in Dublin but most of the public treat the act as a joke, but are mainly pursuing separate careers. They have made a number of appearances on The Podge and Rodge Show.