From Daniel with love

Ed Reed meets Modern & Mature's favourite crooner, Daniel O'Donnell, to talk about faith, love and staying true to his fans.

For a softly spoken and deeply religious balladeer, Daniel O'Donnell inspires some pretty intense reactions among his fans and critics. Millions of loyal Daniel-lovers throughout the world adore the down-to-earth Irishman as much for his cuddly image as his voice. Detractors, on the other hand, slam the golden boy of easy listening for producing little more than crooning muzak.

Doe-eyed O'Donnell became one of the biggest names on the UK music scene in the 1990s when he was catapulted from washing dishes in Dublin's Central Hotel to international stardom thanks to heartfelt covers of songs like Love Me Tender, Blueberry Hill, A Fool Such As You, Roses are Red and the Green, Green Grass of Home. He grew up in the village of Kincasslagh, Co Donegal on Ireland's Atlantic coast and charts his humble beginnings in two biographies 'Follow Your Dream' and 'Daniel O'Donnell: My Story'.

Love him or loathe him, he sparks a unique flame in the hearts of thousands of Modern & Mature ladies. An airport was built to cope with the influx of fans to his birthplace and the Irish Tourist Board once estimated he was responsible for 60 per cent of visitors to Donegal. Of O'Donnells 1.5 million albums sold since 2000, eight have hit the top 20 in the UK – five of those reaching the top 10. His current UK album sales stand at more than three million and he is the only artist to have seen an album in the UK charts every year for the past 18 years. His latest collection of songs, 'From Daniel With Love', came out in January. Later this year, he's setting out on an ambitious international tour of Ireland, England, America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

He's still just the boy from Kincasslagh who, despite having made his fortune, still retains a friendly charm and neighbourly image. O'Donnell grew up in a little cottage hung with pots and pans where bread and cakes were baked on an open fire. Home remains close to his heart. His now-famous open house tea parties were a way of thanking the fans meeting their idol.

And he's played cards in his village most Tuesdays for the past 30 years in a bid to stay firmly involved in community life. "I love playing cards. I love whist more than any card game," he explains in his soft burr. He's a big believer in that sense of community and companionship. "I think it's the fact you're meeting people. You're playing cards but you're chatting and having a bit of fun."

A sense of 'family' lies at the heart of his musical world, where he classes his fans as friends, rather than customers to flog records to. His growing fame, of course, has seen a loss of intimacy in the long meet and greet sessions he still hosts at the end of his concerts. As his popularity soared, the venues became bigger and the shows more infrequent. "I don't get to spend as much time with each individual as I used to but I still get to spend a lot of time with the group. Sometimes it can take two hours, or an hour, or an hourand- a-half. Sometimes it's longer than two hours. It depends where we are. I don't do as many shows as I used to and I don't get to the small venues as much."

Staring from the cover of his albums with his trademark cleanly-cut image and gentle smile, he's just an everyday guy, he claims. "People can meet me anytime. I'm very easy to meet." And he certainly fills a niche with his homespun country and folk tunes. Audiences for that genre are sadly overlooked, he feels. "There's a huge following for the type of music I do. A lot of the media - both TV and radio - almost ignore these people as if they have no right to enjoy or experience that."

His latest album is a recap of some of his most successful songs over the past few years. "It's a love songs album. Some have been on other albums, some have never been released and a few are original."

Penning and performing original tracks is a new direction for O'Donnell who throughout his career has given his own Celtic twist to much-loved classics. "They're nice songs. I don't know if they're going to be great songs. I suppose I should say they are great! It is nice to get the opportunity to record your own stuff." After so many years interpreting the work of others, it's good to hear that O'Donnell is now forging his own path.

January marked his 25th anniversary as a professional singer. His first notes were sung in the church choir at Kincasslagh. That's the same church where he was baptised in and where hundreds of fans watched him marry Majella in 2002. He began singing on stage as a child with his sister Margo. Ten years older than him, she launched her performing career at the age of 12 and a young Daniel grew up listening to his sister's voice on the radio.

His own breakthrough came when he recorded 'My Donegal Shore', paying £600 for recording time and another £600 to release the record. He signed his first record contract in 1986 and achieved success with his second album 'I Need You' the following year. "I always enjoyed it right from the very beginning," he says. "I suppose singing was something I felt very comfortable doing."

A strong Catholic faith underpins everything he does, and the path to fame hasn't always been easy. He broke down with exhaustion at one point and was involved in a bad car crash mid-way through his career. His faith is something he treats very seriously. "I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do what I'm doing and from that point of view something as good as this must come from God. I just wanted to enjoy it. I love the way I live. I love being able to do everything and go everywhere."

Despite the cynicism of the wider world, he holds on to the essential goodness of human nature that connects him and his fans. "I think the majority of people in the world are good and the reason we think people are bad is that bad news reads better and it's more sensational. Most people in the world do good for you and if they can help you they will. I don't think I'm a bit different to the majority."

From Daniel With Love, by Daniel O'Donnell is out now on the DMG TV label.