Donegal singer-songwriter aims to continue making waves in 2026

2025 marked a breakout year for Mark O’Donnell as he made serious waves in the Irish music scene.

Not only did Mark - a 25-year-old singer-songwriter from Glenties - play his first ever sold-out headline show in Whelan's, he also released a brand new single at the beginning of December. Growing up and throughout his teenage years, it was Mark and his piano against the world.

“I always found music such a good escape growing up, if everyone was gone out of the house, I just sat at the piano the whole time, I didn't do anything else”, he says.

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Mark speaks to us about the effect the Coronavirus had on musicians and up-and-coming artists. “Obviously with the pandemic, a lot of people were doing well, maybe at the stage that I'm at now, then the pandemic hit, that would be worst-case scenario for me right now, just when things are going sort of well, and the whole world shuts down”, Mark reflects.

“I can only imagine how all those artists felt back then, just whenever they thought they were making something of themselves, I can't imagine what it'd been like back then”, says Mark.

During this time of time of isolation and uncertainty, Mark took to TikTok to share his musical gift with the world for the first time after a small push of encouragement from one of his pals.

“TikTok took over the world in 2020, I started posting cover songs….I remember I recorded one, and I sent it to one of my friends, and she said, you should just post that, and I was like, ‘Oh God, no I wouldn't do that’”, Mark smiles. After the words of encouragement from his friend Mark built up the courage to press post and the video exceeded all of his expectations.

Mark’s latest single, “Can’t go back”, was released on December 5, and this release explores nostalgia and longing.

“It's a tribute to my grandparents, they passed away when I was 15, I feel like I wasn't old enough back then to fully appreciate their company”, Mark reflects.

“We spent Christmases there, we went down there four or five times every week, it's only 20 minutes from my house, we spent our whole childhood there with my other cousins we'd all just amalgamate there.

“I'm also thinking about the conversations that we never got to have and the conversations my older cousins would have got to have and the advice they would have got from them - I didn't get a chance to get that.”

Mark tells us how “Thursdays just aren't the same anymore”. He says: “My mum was really close to my grandmother and every single Thursday, we went and took her shopping and she did her shopping for the whole week and she always bought us things and, that was our Thursdays, growing up, from the get-go.

“It’s very difficult to come to terms with losing a loved one, but not many people talk about the fact that, in many cases, the house they lived in must, in a way, move on too. So many people will relate to this song; many already have. This song is a tribute to my grandparents.

“My producer, Jake Richardson, did such an amazing job on it,” Mark says. “He just nailed it on the head. I would usually tend to start playing on the minor key, like E-minor but I actually started on the major chord and it makes the song feel so much more warm.

Every year Mark sets himself five achievable goals and five that he feels are almost impossible. He says: “The impossible ones are the exciting part because sometimes you surprise yourself.”

Last year Mark told himself the year 2025 was the year he would say yes to everything because “you miss every chance you don’t take, [Mark] didn’t want fear making decisions for [him] anymore.” This is something Mark is bringing into 2026 with him: “similar to last year, I’m definitely going to say yes to more things, because it definitely works in your favour”.

“Putting ‘headline shows’ down as a goal felt terrifying at the time. Seeing them sell out showed me why writing things down actually matters…..If something can happen once, it can happen again. That’s the mindset I’m bringing into the new year”, Mark adds.

As 2026 kicks off, Mark says he’s “going to sit down with my goals again, achievable ones and the dreams that feel crazy”. One of Mark’s “unachievable or achievable goals will be to do a mini Irish tour.”

To see what 2026 has in store for Mark O’Donnell and to keep up with his musical journey, you can check him out on his social media platforms; his Instagram and TikTok handle is @markodonnellmusic and you can listen to his music on Spotify @markodonnell.