Dove Ellis: Who is the mysterious Irish artist on the Mercury shortlist?

There are many glittering names on the just-announced Mercury Prize shortlist for best British or Irish album of the year – and one mystery hidden in plain sight. Among the superstars are Olivia Dean, fresh from two sold-out nights at Marlay Park in Dublin and Florence + the Machine, a collaborator with Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.The enigmatic newcomer? That would be Dove Ellis, aka Galway songwriter Thomas O’Donoghue, who becomes the 15th Irish artist nominated for the Mercury – joining an exclusive club that also includes U2, CMAT, Gemma Hayes and Róisín Murphy. If Ellis’ name is unfamiliar, it is because the singer – receiving the nod for his debut LP Blizzard – has somehow achieved the status of critical darling while staying entirely off the radar. Based in Manchester, he has played just a handful of shows in Ireland, most recently at the Beyond the Pale festival in Wicklow. Other than that, there are almost no biographical details to fill in the blanks – though he has expressed a love for Prince and for Shane MacGowan. [ Dove Ellis: Blizzard review – Thank heavens for awkward outsiders, and for this luminescent Irish albumOpens in new window ]But if his profile is modest, his music is huge – a swooning, stormy updating of the 1990s school of troubadour angst as embodied by Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice. He builds sweeping sonic landscapes out of the most unassuming of materials – essentially a stripped-back guitar and falsetto that is reminiscent of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke but which also crackles with the sort of ancient power that international audiences have come to associate with Irish artists. READ MOREHe also has fans in high places. Last year, he supported indie band of the moment, Geese, on a US tour, while Blizzard was mixed by Andrew Sarlo, who has worked with high-profile names such as Big Thief and Bon Iver. Might he win at the Mercury ceremony this October? The awards have a long history of paying lip service to Irish talent and focusing on whatever is fashionable in Britain (ie London) at the time. Last year, for instance, the judges looked past the obvious choice (and bookies’ favourite) of Co Meath country-pop sensation CMAT to hand the gong to the Springsteen-esque Tyne-and-Wear rocker Sam Fender.Not that missing out on the Mercury would be massive blow to the Galway songwriter. He already has one of 2025’s most acclaimed records. Awards or not, Ellis is a dark horse surely destined for bigger and better things.