Donal is a musician, composer, and educator, who has fifteen years experience working in the Irish music industry. He has been playing the guitar since age eleven and has been performing live since the age of nineteen.

Donal is a very dedicated music educator who aims to inspire passion and a love of music in his students. Over the years he has taught individual and group lessons in the areas of guitar techniques, bass, ukulele, song-writing, composition, and music theory. He has many years experience teaching various styles of guitar including, classical, modern and pop acoustic, modern and pop electric, rock, heavy metal and jazz guitar. He can offer formal grade systems such as Trinity Guildhall, RIAM or ABRSM for classical guitar, Rockschool for acoustic, electric guitar, bass and ukulele, and RGT for acoustic guitar, or he can work with students on an individual approach tailored to their interests and abilities. He can also aid in Junior and Leaving Certificate music exam and practical preparation.

As a band leader and session musician he has toured extensively in Ireland and abroad, performing in the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Denmark. He co-founded the group Tucan in 2006 who went on to chart numerous albums and perform at some of the country’s biggest festivals and venues, including The Electric Picnic, Body and Soul, Longitude, Cork Jazz Festival, Vicar St, and The National Concert Hall, to name but a few. As a session musician he has also worked with top Irish acts such as Paul Brady, Lisa Hannigan, Conor O’Brien (Villagers), Mundy, Ham Sandwich, Duke Special, plus many more. He continues to perform regularly around the country with The Tiny Quartet, The MASS band, and performing his own compositions with The Donal Gunne Band.