{"id":414476,"date":"2026-04-24T02:29:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/414476\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:29:21","slug":"i-joined-hundreds-of-fans-to-meet-majella-and-daniel-odonnell-in-newbridge-heres-what-i-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/414476\/","title":{"rendered":"I joined hundreds of fans to meet Majella and Daniel O’Donnell in Newbridge\u00a0\u2014 here’s what I learned"},"content":{"rendered":"

Newbridge didn\u2019t know what hit it on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n

Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell came to town for the opening of an exhibition of their outfits in the Newbridge Silverware Style Icons Museum in Kildare. The media and hundreds of fans followed.<\/p>\n

Taking their place among icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Victoria Beckham, and Britain\u2019s Princess Diana, Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell were \u201csurprised\u201d when the request came in.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s quite amazing, really that we\u2019re here, and right next to The Beatles,\u201d Daniel says.<\/p>\n

TV personality Noel Cunningham, who dreamed up the idea and brought it to Newbridge Silverware owners William and Monica Doyle, never had any doubts about the O\u2019Donnells fitting in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember being here in Newbridge with William and Monica years ago, and I said to them: \u2018We will have to get Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell in here one day\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are so loved and so respected, I knew they would take their place here quite naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel O’Donnell and his wife, Majella at the opening of the Daniel & Majella O\u2019Donnell \u2013 Music, Style & Memories exhibition. Picture: Conor Healy \/ Picture It Photography<\/p>\n

The couple, who have been married for 24 years this year, hold hands as they walk through the exhibition, stopping along the way to greet, well, everyone. Nobody is left out.<\/p>\n

Daniel exudes a natural charm; when he greets you, you feel like there\u2019s no one else around, his focus totally on you. I\u2019m instinctively drawn to Majella too, who is more quietly impressive.<\/p>\n

Seeing her wedding dress in the exhibition, she says she was struck by the detail.<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel and Majella O’Donnell on their wedding day<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d forgotten all about the pearls and the detail on the bodice! It brings back so many memories of that day, and it\u2019s lovely to see it again,\u201d she says<\/p>\n

The blue dress Majella wore to her daughter Siobh\u00e1n\u2019s wedding is also in the exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were laughing, saying that Majella\u2019s dress was designed by Julien Macdonald, and my knitted jumper in the exhibition was designed by Julia O\u2019Donnell,\u201d laughs Daniel.<\/p>\n

The Aran sweater was created by Daniel\u2019s mother, Julia. He wore it when he recorded his first hit My Donegal Shore.<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel O’Donnell and his wife, Majella at Newbridge Silverware. Picture: Conor Healy \/ Picture It Photography<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so special to me because of the memories it holds. That my mother knit it and, of course, it\u2019s tied in with the recording of my first song too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s approach to clothes is very relatable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I see something I like, I buy it.\u201d Like the glittery shirt, which stands out in the exhibition, which he \u201cpicked up in Las Vegas\u201d.<\/p>\n

That and the leather trousers, cowboy boots, and Stetson hat \u201cwere a bit of tongue in cheek,\u201d says Majella.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel wasn\u2019t trying to make a statement with his leather trousers. It was all a bit of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the permanent exhibition, Daniel & Majella O\u2019Donnell \u2014 Music, Style & Memories, features stage costumes Daniel has worn over the years on stages from the Sydney Opera House to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, it also includes memorabilia from his career, including gold discs, an honorary MBE, and the red book from the TV show This is Your Life.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cI was playing Sunday Night at the Palladium with other artists in 2000, when Michael Aspel, the presenter of This Is Your Life, came out on stage. I\u2019d always watched the show, so I was interested to see who he was surprising on the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fairness, I thought it would be Engelbert Humperdink who was standing close to me. I nearly collapsed when Aspel came over!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel and Majella O’Donnell. Picture: Conor Healy \/ Picture It Photography<\/p>\n

Despite his success, the country singer remains grounded. In 2002, when he received a phone call asking him if he would accept an honorary MBE from Britain\u2019s Queen Elizabeth II, \u201cI didn\u2019t know it was for real\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, he realised that his fans \u201cacross the Commonwealth\u201d had petitioned Buckingham Palace to honour O\u2019Donnell for his contribution to music. \u201cThat\u2019s how it came about. So I accepted it gratefully, because, you know, anything from the people is a great honour for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MBE and the night on This Is Your Life are core memories in a career full of achievements.<\/p>\n

\u201cDaniel has achieved everything he could possibly achieve, really, but for him, singing is what it\u2019s about, and the people who support him,\u201d says Majella.<\/p>\n

Among the hundreds of fans in Newbridge that morning, most have a story or two, about when they met Daniel and what he means to them. But it\u2019s clear it\u2019s a two-way street. There\u2019s a genuine warmth in how he greets people; these are fans, yes, but plenty of long-term fans have also developed friendships with Daniel and Majella.<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel O’Donnell sings for his fans after opening his and Majella’s fashion exhibition at the Museum of Style in Newbridge Silverware. Picture: Eamonn Farrell\/\u00a9 RollingNews.ie<\/p>\n

The couple don\u2019t take the support for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how many people are here today, but already we\u2019ve seen people that have come from Omagh, from Waterford, from Antrim. We would know them, you know, and we\u2019re so grateful that they would make the effort to be here. It\u2019s amazing that people want to do that. It\u2019s not a concert or a show, but they just want to be a part of something that\u2019s happening in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Away from the glamour and the stage, Daniel and Majella say they enjoy their time together just relaxing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re like everyone else really. Wearing trainers and jeans and just relaxing either in Donegal or in our place in Tenerife,\u201d says Majella.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t normally even wear outfits like what we\u2019re wearing today,\u201d laughs Daniel, indicating his three-piece suit and Majella\u2019s green dress.<\/p>\n

\u201cHobbies-wise we tend to go off and do our own thing, but then we\u2019ll come together later and watch something on TV or go for a meal.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Tenerife, the couple have \u201ca sofa each\u201d where they can \u201cstretch out\u201d, says Daniel.<\/p>\n

Now on \u201ca long break\u201d from performing, Daniel says the couple have some travelling in their sights.<\/p>\n

\"DanielDaniel and Majella O’Donnell meet Sister Mary Kinlan at Newbridge Silverware. Picture: Conor Healy \/ Picture It Photography<\/p>\n

A couple of cruises are on the cards, and a trip to Croatia. That\u2019s in between several commitments that Daniel wouldn\u2019t miss.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have another touring show until September 2027, so I\u2019m enjoying the free time. Now, during the summer, I am involved in the Mary of Dungloe Festival. I also do work for Donegal Cancer for the Cancer Flights, and I\u2019m involved in the Relay for Life event in Donegal in May. Oh, and the Oprey shows we do for TG4 at the end of June, and that\u2019s it then, apart from a cruise with Gertrude Byrne in September.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo although he\u2019s doing \u2018nothing\u2019, he\u2019s doing loads really,\u201d Majella adds.<\/p>\n

As is clear once you meet Daniel and Majella, theirs is very much a partnership. Just as Majella supports Daniel in his career, he is clearly proud of his wife\u2019s decision to use her voice to speak about her time in a psychiatric hospital two years ago, as well as her experience with breast cancer in 2013.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve acquired a position that gives you a platform. Not that there\u2019s anything different about us. It\u2019s just that more people can hear us. And especially for Majella, more so than me, because she\u2019s lived the things that she\u2019s talking about,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n And sometimes people need somebody like Majella who is telling their story in the hope that it will help people.\n <\/p>\n

\u201cI feel it\u2019s a duty, or a privilege really, that I can do that,\u201d Majella says.<\/p>\n

After meeting with the press, the couple make their way downstairs to greet the hundreds of fans who pack the restaurant in the Newbridge
Silverware Visitor Centre.<\/p>\n

As they take to the stage, the excitement and warmth radiating from them and the devoted fans is almost tangible. Here, among the people, is the O\u2019Donnells\u2019s happy place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newbridge didn\u2019t know what hit it on Wednesday morning. Daniel and Majella O\u2019Donnell came to town for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[5658,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-414476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-irish-examiner-instagram","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}