Born in Donegal in 1961, Daniel O’Donnell is a singer and TV personality known as “Wee Daniel” to his legion of dedicated fans. His career has spanned four decades: first touring with his sister, the Irish country music star Margo, and then as a solo artist. His debut, The Boy from Donegal, was released in 1984, and he has since achieved 16 Top 10 albums with singles such as What Ever Happened to Old Fashioned Love, Footsteps and Crush on You.
Through the Years – The Very Best of Daniel O’Donnell is out now. Our next door neighbour , Annie McGarvey, recorded the whole of our family’s childhood on a box camera she bought using cocoa coupons in 1937. She took this photograph outside her thatched house on the day of my first holy communion.
I was seven. The suit was something I enjoyed wearing – it had been passed down to me after both of my brothers had worn it at their communions. My only other memories from that day were that I walked home with Diana Quickhead, a girl whose family came up every summer from Belfast, and was able to buy a block of ice-cream from the post office, as a treat.
My first communion wasn’t a big celebration as my father had died the August before, and my mother was still grieving. She went to the church, but there was no big party for me afterwards. I was too young to be affected by my father’s death, whereas my brothers, who were 19 and 10, felt greatly impacted.
It didn’t last for ever, however: my mother was a very strong woman .