Is as Baile Átha Cliath é Pól Ó Seachnasaigh, agus thosaigh sé ag freastal ar seisiúin cheoil sa chathair lena mháthair, Pearl, agus a dheartháir Tom nuair a bhí sé óg go leor. B’í Pearl an múinteoir ceoil is mó tábhacht a bhí aige, ach cuireadh amach go dtí ranganna ceoil é ar an fhidil agus ar an fheadóg stáin chuig múinteoirí a bhí sa chathair faoin am sin. I measc na múinteoirí seo bhí Mary Bergin, Mícheál Ó hAlmhain agus Antóin Mac Gabhann.  Ina dhéagóir chuir sé an-suim i stíl fhidléireachta Thír Chonaill, contae a mháthar, agus cuireadh leis sin nuair a chaith sé tréimhse leis an ghrúpa Altan. Ina dhiaidh sin thaistil sé timpeall an domhain le grúpaí agus ceoltóirí eile cosúil le Beginish agus Harry Bradley, agus rinne sé cúpla dlúthdhiosca. Ainneoin méid an ama a chaith sé ag taisteal agus ag dul ar stáitse anuas na blianta, is breá leis thar aon ní eile suí síos le daoine eile ag seisiún bríomhar.

Paul O’Shaughnessy is from Dublin where he started going to sessions when he was still very young, brought by his mother, Pearl, along with his brother Tom. Pearl was his most important music teacher, but he was also sent to other teachers who were in the city at the time. These included Mary Bergin and Mícheál Ó hAlmhain on the tin whistle, and Antóin Mac Gabhann on the fiddle. As a teenager he took a great interest in the fiddle music of Donegal, his mother’s county. This interest continued and developed when he was a member of Altan for a number of years. Following this he travelled the world with groups and individual musicians like Beginish and Harry Bradley, and he also issued a number of CDs. Despite the amount of time he has spent travelling and going on stage with the music, he much prefers to sit down with others for a good lively session of tunes.