DANIEL O’DONNELL BEATS POPE AND QUEEN TO MAKE GREAT-GRANDMOTHER’S 100TH BIRTHDAY WISH COME TRUE
While letters from Pope Francis, Queen Elizabeth II, and Australian leaders arrived to mark the milestone, it was a 30-second video message from Daniel O’Donnell that brought the greatest joy to Sydney woman Joyce Fallon on her 100th birthday.
The great-grandmother of 10, originally from Ireland, celebrated her centenary surrounded by family in Australia. Among her many well-wishers were the Pontiff, the late Queen, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Governor-General David Hurley, who each sent official greetings. Yet it was O’Donnell’s warm, personal message — recorded from Donegal — that left Joyce overwhelmed.
Her granddaughter, Alison O’Hanlon, who lives in Portmarnock, Dublin, explained how she arranged the surprise. “I managed to get the request to him last Friday evening, and within an hour — seriously, it was that quick — this gorgeous video from Daniel himself landed on my WhatsApp,” she told Dublin Live. “It’s so sweet. He clearly remembered Nanna from that night in Arranmore and wished her a happy birthday. He even said he hoped to see her again in Sydney when life gets back to normal.”
The connection between O’Donnell and Joyce stretches back more than a decade. In 2009, when Joyce was 89, she travelled 17,000km to Ireland to meet her first great-granddaughter. During the trip, her family surprised her with tickets to see Daniel perform in Arranmore Island. After the show in Early’s Bar, she met both the singer and his mother, Julia. “They were both so lovely,” Alison recalled. “Daniel even promised that when he toured Sydney the following year, he’d put Nanna on the guest list — and his mum made sure of it.”
True to his word, when O’Donnell performed at Sydney’s Entertainment Centre in 2010, Joyce, her sister Maureen, and her daughter Sue were given front-row tickets. After the show, Daniel took time to chat with them, making the evening unforgettable for the family.
Fast-forward to 2020, and with Australia’s borders closed during the pandemic, Alison couldn’t fly home to celebrate her grandmother’s centenary. Determined to give her Nanna a moment to remember, she reached out through her media contacts — and Daniel O’Donnell once again delivered.
“It meant more to her than all the official letters,” Alison said. “My family in Australia are so impressed. How many big music stars would do that for one of their fans?”
The video was played at Joyce’s family lunch in Sydney, where her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered to celebrate her remarkable life. “We caught up with them all on a call from Dublin,” Alison said. “Everyone was beaming. Daniel made her day.”
For a woman who has lived through a century of history, Joyce Fallon’s 100th birthday was filled with blessings. But in the end, it was a simple, heartfelt greeting from Ireland’s most beloved singer that reminded her — and her family — of the lasting power of kindness.