Posted online: Dec 14th, 2011

By Grace McMonagle
reporter

DANIEL O’Donnell is currently celebrating his 50th birthday in an undisclosed location with his wife Majella.
Mrs. O’Donnell revealed that she was whisking her husband away to the secret location on a special episode of ‘The Late Late Show’ on Friday night, which was filmed to mark the crooner’s milestone birthday.
“It’s a secret, we’re going away for three days, he doesn’t know where but it might be quieter than he expected!” she told the host Ryan Tubridy.
“I have a strange feeling we could be going camping,” Daniel laughed as Majella warned him to pack his woolies on the chat show.
The millionaire singer turned half-a-century old on Monday, December 12 and said that he was delighted to make it to the age and to be there to celebrate it.
He also divulged that he is now going to take it easy and plans on taking up new hobbies.
“I have been singing for 30 years now and I am going to do things I didn’t have time to do before and just relax.
“I want to do a course in Irish: I can speak a bit but we aren’t fluent even though I am from a Gaeltacht area: I would like to get a better grasp of it.
“I also hope to take up Sean Nos dancing in Glencolmcille.”
The millionaire singer admitted that this birthday was particularly poignant for him as his father died suddenly of a heart attack two months before his own 50th birthday, when Daniel was only six-years-old.
“I now realise how much living he had to. It’s only when you get to that age do you realise how young he was and what a shame it was, it was so tough.”
The crooner was flanked by number of friends and family on Friday’s show who extolled the singer and sent their best wishes to him on the special day.
The star was joined on stage by his sister Margo, wife Majella and family friend, Fr Brian Darcy who married him and Majella.
However, his beloved 92-year-old mother, Julia, was at home on the night but ever the loyal son, Daniel made sure to say hello to her and give her a big wave.
“She is doing well but she is not well enough to be on the road like she would have been. I know if she was fit she would be here tonight,” he added.
Cliff Richard sent Daniel a birthday wish all the way from Barbados; Legendary goalkeeper, Packie Bonner – who has known the singer from an early age – was in the audience, as well as singers Mary Duff; Philomena Begley and Mark Roberts who all paid tribute to the singer.
Daniel also performed a medley of his hits and sang a duet with his sister Margo. He ended the birthday celebrations by singing ‘Have I told you lately that I love you’ with his wife Majella as the pair held hands on stage.