DANIEL O’DONNELL RETURNS TO VICTORIA
The hugely popular Irish singer returns to Victoria tonight for a concert at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the first of 15 shows on a cross-Canada tour.
What: Daniel O’Donnell Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, 1925 Blanshard St. When: Tonight, 7:30 (doors at 6:30) Tickets: $39-$99 (plus service charges) at livenation.com, selectyourtickets.com, by phone at 250-220-7777 or in person at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre box office
Daniel O’Donnell was in Victoria for a brief holiday this summer, visiting landmarks such as Butchart Gardens before venturing north for a getaway at Cabins West in Ucluelet.
Though massively popular overseas, and the subject of much tabloid press, the Irish singer would have been difficult to spot during his time on Vancouver Island. While some stars prefer high-end cars or limousines, O’Donnell isn’t much of a luxury auto enthusiast.
“I love houses,” O’Donnell said on the phone, shortly before taking the stage for a show in Castlebar, Ireland. “I love having a nice house, but cars? As long as it moves and is fairly reliable, that’ll be good enough for me.”
The 55-year-old easy-listening singer from Donegal and his wife, Majella, were on a two-week trip through Western Canada this summer to celebrate a friend’s 60th birthday. O’Donnell returns to Victoria tonight for a concert at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the first of 15 shows in 10 provinces across Canada.
O’Donnell saw a different side of the country during his time away from the tour circuit, so he’s eager to get going on his Canadian run. “I’m looking forward to this trip,” he said in the lilt that has made him one of Ireland’s most enduring singing stars.
“We’ve never done a coast-tocoast tour of Canada, never concentrated on a whole tour of the country.”
There is much to celebrate on this run. His streak of 31 consecutive years with an album on the U.K. charts is intact thanks to
Back Home Again, his two-CD release that arrived in March.
He also has several albums either in the can or on their way, including a Christmas album due in December. O’Donnell said he intends to record another album in January, which is expected to stretch his chart streak to 32 years in 2018. To date, songs by O’Donnell have spent more than 300 weeks on the U.K. albums chart.
The PBS favourite, who specializes in a brand of music that falls between adult-contemporary pop and classic country, said there are “lots” of songs that he would still like to record.
“Because I don’t concentrate totally on original material, there’s a whole bank of wellknown songs I love that someday I might record. You never run out when you like to record old music.”
His track record as a recording artist has made him a big star in the U.K., with more than 10 million records sold over his career. He got his start in 1982, and has made steady inroads via constant touring and recording.
O’Donnell has been wellcompensated for his efforts. The Sunday Times of Ireland recently reported that he is worth the equivalent of $50 million Cdn, making him one of his homeland’s top earners.
He remains modest, despite the acclaim. O’Donnell credits that to staying true to his roots.
He lives in the village of Kincasslagh in County Donegal, close to where he was raised, and shies away from anything ostentatious.
“I was brought up in a very rural part of Ireland, where everybody knows everybody. I think when you’re brought up in that situation, you like to live as you’ve always lived.”
When planning tours, he makes an effort to visit towns not unlike the one where he was raised. O’Donnell and his band will play 120 concerts this year, so there is plenty of opportunity to accommodate stops well off the beaten path.
“I come from the country myself, so I think it’s always nice when shows come to our area. When something comes, it’s terrific. It’s nice to go out to more rural places.”
O’Donnell’s tour of Canada will see the singer visit several cities for the first time, including Victoria. Unlike his performances back home, he doesn’t expect these shows to be full of Irish fans (“I don’t meet an awful lot of people from home,” he said, “for the majority of the audience generally comes from the area we’re in”), which makes perfect sense. Though he’s a tenor from Ireland, he differs from many PBS “popera” stars who make their names with renditions of Danny Boy and other Emerald Isle standards.
“I sing some Irish songs, but it’s very mixed music. It’s not predominantly Irish — there’s a lot of country music in it, and some middle-of-the-road stuff. But there are Irish ballads — it’s just not a total Irish concert.”
Fans love O’Donnell’s accessibility — he often stays for hours after a concert to chat and sign autographs. Performers with many decades of experience can grow tired of the meet-and-greet experience, but O’Donnell said it remains one of his favourite parts of the job.
“I love the opportunity to sing, and I really enjoy meeting people. I suppose the two kind of go hand in hand. I’ve never felt that I needed to be separated from a situation. I’ve always enjoyed the opportunity.”
He’ll continue touring for as long as his audience wants.
“I love what I do. I would hope that you choose to do it, and not because it’s a job, a means to an end.
“Most people in life work to live, but there’s a few lucky people who are the opposite. They live, but work is not really work. I think I fall into that category. It’s something that is very enjoyable to me.”