Daniel O’Donnell has marked two special milestones this spring — celebrating wife Majella’s 65th birthday and welcoming the couple’s fourth grandchild — all while lending his voice to a cause close to his heart. The Donegal-born singer shared a photo of Majella beside a heart-shaped floral display on social media ahead of her birthday, writing: “Getting ready to celebrate Majella’s birthday tomorrow.” The couple, who wed in 2002, have built a blended family life since Daniel became stepfather to Majella’s children, Siobhan and Michael, when they were just 11 and nine.
Now, O’Donnell is “Gaga” — the affectionate nickname coined by granddaughter Olivia — to four grandchildren, the newest being baby Jack, born in Australia in the early hours of the morning. “There’s great excitement,” he told The Irish Examiner from Tenerife, where he and Majella were taking a short break. “It’s a shame we’re so far away… but we’ll have live WhatsApps.” The singer speaks warmly of his bond with his stepchildren, stressing that their relationship has been free of conflict, even during the teenage years, and that he’d happily spend time with them even without Majella present.
Family connection is something O’Donnell treasures deeply, shaped by his own childhood in a close-knit coastal community in Donegal where neighbours and older relatives were integral to daily life. He recalls learning whist from a neighbour, Annie McGarvey, when he was just nine — a skill that evolved into a love for bridge, which he now plays weekly at home and online. Despite decades of touring, Tenerife has become the couple’s sanctuary.
“It’s the only place I get a real chance to rest,” Daniel says. At home, he admits, requests and obligations can make it hard to fully switch off. That understanding of work-life balance dates back to 1992, when vocal strain forced him to take time out. “You can’t be everything to everybody and nothing to yourself,” he reflects, adding that he’s cut back on travel and finds joy in golf at Cruit Island and evenings spent at the card table.
O’Donnell is also the face of this year’s Alzheimer’s Tea Day on May 1, recording the song Times Change in memory of his mother-in-law, Marion, who had dementia. Written by Shaunie Crampsey, the song is dedicated to all families touched by the condition. Speaking candidly, O’Donnell describes dementia as “like a car driving away… you know you should be able to get in, but you just cannot unlock the door.”
He stresses the importance of easing the pressure on those living with memory loss, never forcing them to remember, and instead offering the comfort of the present moment. Marion’s eventual move to a nursing home, he says, brought her renewed vitality — a reminder that, for some, professional care can be the right choice.
With dementia diagnoses in Ireland projected to double in the next two decades, Tea Day aims to raise vital funds for The Alzheimer Society of Ireland’s services, including helplines, home care, day programmes, and social clubs. O’Donnell hopes the campaign, themed Tea is the Best Time of the Day, will encourage communities to come together over a cuppa in support of families facing the condition — a cause, like his family, that he holds close.