Margo O’Donnell Opens Up About Rift with Brother Daniel: “Things Are Not Good There”
It’s been nearly a decade since Margo O’Donnell last spoke to her famous brother, Daniel. And according to the Irish country legend, the silence speaks volumes.
In a candid interview, the 67-year-old singer revealed that she and Daniel O’Donnell, one of Ireland’s most beloved entertainers, have not been in contact since the death of their mother, Julia, in 2014.
“Things are not good there,” she admitted somberly. “It’s circumstantial.” Though Margo didn’t delve deeply into the reasons behind the estrangement, she hinted that changes in Daniel’s circle may have played a part: “Sometimes when people come into your life, they change things.”
Once credited with giving her younger brother his start in music, Margo now watches his career from afar. “I don’t see Daniel at all,” she said. “But he’s doing magnificently well. And he’s my brother. I love him dearly because he is a good man.”
Still, the emotional distance has been difficult—particularly around the holidays. “Christmas used to mean family,” she shared. “But it’s all changed.”
Instead of large gatherings, Margo now spends Christmas in her own home, surrounded by a few close friends. She finds comfort in smaller joys: “My nephew in Armagh will visit with his kids, and my godchild Jasmine comes in the morning to open her presents—she brings that bit of magic.”
The sadness, however, extends beyond Daniel. Margo also admitted to feeling isolated from her other siblings—Kathleen, John, and James. Since their mother’s passing, she rarely returns to her native Donegal at all.
“It’s hard,” she reflected. “But I pray for them. That’s what I can do.”
Despite the pain, her words carried no bitterness—only a quiet longing, a soft echo of the closeness that once was. In the silence between her and Daniel, there is still love. And in her solitude, a hope—faint but unshaken.