Michael Alexander speaks to legendary Irish crooner Daniel O’Donnell ahead of his show at Dundee’s Caird Hall on October 13.
It’s “been a while” since Daniel O’Donnell played Dundee.
But ahead of the legendary crooner’s return to the city on October 13, he’s looking forward to returning to an area of Scotland that he knows well.
The Irish singer, whose career has spanned 35 years, will be appearing at the Caird Hall with a revamped band.
However, in addition to bringing back fond memories of gigs – including a recording of one of his first videos at the Whitehall Theatre in the early 1990s – he also has strong family connections with Tayside.
“I’m glad we’re getting back to the city because it has been a wee while,” he said in an interview from his home in Ireland.
“But I have a lot of relations in the area too.
“I had two uncles living in Perth. My father had two brothers who settled there. One was in Bridge of Earn and the other in Perth itself.
“And then I have other friends who live in Dundee. I know the area well.
“Ireland – especially Donegal – is very very much linked with Scotland.
“My mother and father lived in Forfar in the very early part of their marriage. There was a farm up there.
“One of the times I was in Dundee my mother came and we went up and went round the areas – there’s still people living there that we know.
“We still have a connection with the people they worked with there.
“That whole area has a big connection for our family as well – as well as the fact that I come and do shows.”
O’Donnell, 56, has enjoyed huge chart success – having had an album in the UK charts every year from 1988 to 2017, something that not even Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, David Bowie, The Beatles or the Rolling Stones achieved.
With 32 top 30 albums over the course of his career, and eight number one hits in the UK music video/DVD charts, O’Donnell has had a phenomenal career.
He also appeared on one of his favourite TV shows as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2015.
He laughs when he recalls the experience.
“They asked me if I would do it,” he said.
“I love the show so didn’t have to do much thinking about it – I just said ‘oh I’ll do that’.
“But I was absolutely terrified when I had to dance live. I can’t begin to tell you. I didn’t expect to be so nervous.
“I loved it, I loved the opportunity, I loved the people that I met. It was a great experience and I would advise anyone given the chance to go for it. But I was absolutely terrified!”
Daniel, who is renowned for his soft spoken and clean-cut image, is also famous for his connection with his fans – and he says it’s the audience that “really makes the show”.
“It’s great to get back and meet people, a lot of whom have been coming to the shows for years,” he said.
“A lot of the older people who used to follow me are either not able to come or are no longer with us.
“But there is a different group of people coming now – younger. Maybe I’m getting older – the policemen are getting younger. There’s a younger group of people, maybe even my own age, who didn’t look at the music before, who are getting acquainted of it.”
*Daniel O’Donnell will be performing at the Caird Hall, Dundee, on Saturday October 13 at 7.30pm.
Tickets can be bought from the Caird Hall box office by calling 01382 434111 or online at leisureandculturedundee.com/culture/caird-hall.
