Draft:Johnny Donnelly


Johnny Donnelly (born in Dublin on February 14th, 1972[1]) is a global event manager and Irish musician, best known for being the former drummer with Galway-based band, The Saw Doctors[2].

Biography and Musical Career

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Personal Life

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Donnelly has four children[3] and is passionate about ultramarathon running. He has been participating in marathons since he was 13 years old, competing in marathons around the world.

Donnelly currently lives in Headford, Co. Galway and is the managing director of Arcana.

Drumming and the Saw Doctors

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Donnelly started drumming at the age of three and he became the youngest and smallest lead drummer at his school, De La Salle. As a teenager, Donnelly joined numerous bands by answering advertisements in magazines.

He played at the Baggot Inn in Dublin with various bands, traveling to the city for gigs, often several times each week. In 1989, he responded to an ad for the Galway band The Saw Doctors, requesting a drummer. Donnelly was invited to join the band for four nights at the Olympia, where they were special guests alongside the Waterboys. Mike Scott of the Waterboys then invited The Saw Doctors to go on tour with them for six weeks, marking the beginning of Donnelly's 13-year career with the band.

In 1995, Donnelly taught drumming and directed percussion performances with Macnas and Mac Teo while still touring with The Saw Doctors.

He joined the Saw Doctors at the age of 16, but left in 2001 to pursue other interests. His last gig with The Saw Doctors was at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. His career with The Saw Doctors spanned from 1989 to 2001.

Running Challenge

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In 2009, Donnelly organized a running challenge to complete over 60 marathons[4], totaling 2,000 miles, across 43 different countries over a four year period[5]. He convinced 500 Irish people to run alongside him, with each runner aiming to raise €500[6]. The challenge was successful, raising a total of £250,000 for Seachange - an Irish charity that fights global poverty through microcredit, providing small loans to the world's poorest to help them become self-sufficient. Donnelly's catalyst for the fundraising runs came from almost losing his son several times[7].

Arcana

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In 2007, Donnelly founded his own company, Arcana, a corporate entertainment production company[8] that handles both large and small-scale productions which have included Seafest, the National Ploughing Championships, and the Ocean Race.

References

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  1. ^ "Johnny Donnelly - Saw Doctors". RTE Radio 1. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  2. ^ Harris, Craig. "Biography: The Saw Doctors". Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  3. ^ MacDonald, Sarah. "Former band member tells WMOF2018 about love and family life". catholicireland.net. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  4. ^ "Johnny Donnelly". Run Ireland. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Saw Doctor to run 60 marathons and raise €250k". Business Post. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  6. ^ "500 Runners €500". Athenry AC. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  7. ^ Hogan, Louise. "Drummer runs to his own beat in charity bid". Independent. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Working to different drum beat". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 December 2024.