Joe O’Donnell might be best-known for his work with the jazz-rock group east of Eden (which group also included the late saxophonist Don Weller). However, his magnum opus must surely be his 1977 concept album Joe Gaodhal’s Vision, which mixed Irish Traditional music with Progressive Rock, Classical and Jazz Rock, producing a unique fusion of musical idioms. The album tells the tale of an epic journey of the Milesian people, reportedly the last race to settle in Ireland, from the middle east to Ireland, effectively the pre-Celtic origins of the Irish people.
O’Donnell currently leads the Celtic/rock band ‘Joe O’Donnell’s Shkayla’ where he performs on electric violin and mandolin, together with providing vocals.