Star hints at retirement in bid to ‘slow down’ after 40 years

DANIEL O’donnell has admitted he has thought about putting the brakes on his music career.

The 56-year-old singer is one of Ireland’s most successful musicians and is worth more than €30million.

But the Donegal crooner said he won’t be doing live shows into his 80s like the late country music star Big Tom.

Daniel, who will celebrate 38 years as a musician in January, added he has thought about “slowing down” and confessed he doesn’t see himself touring for decades to come.

He told the Irish Mirror: “I keep saying I’m going to slow down and I have a little. I suppose in the future I’ll look at taking more time off. I think everyone has a time when they should finish and I hope when that time comes for me I’ll realise it.”

When asked if he could see himself performing for as long as Big Tom did, Daniel replied: “For some it works well and they go on for a long time, but I don’t know that I would like to go on indefinitely.”

The singer, who is featured on the new Country Roads album which is set to be released next Friday, also said he believes he has less of a heart-throb status now he’s older.

And he added you won’t spot any eager fans flinging knickers at him while he’s on stage performing.

Daniel said: “I never had a lot of that now I have to say. There’ll always be good people who are having good fun, but I never really had much of that Tom Jones attention.

“I think maybe now as I’m getting older, I’m getting into the grandad look rather than the heart-throb.”

Daniel is currently touring the US but will be back next month for four Irish dates.

He will play the INEC Killarney on December 14 and the next day in the TF Theatre, Castlebar, Co Mayo, then the Belfast’s Waterfront on December 18 and the following night at Derry’s Millennium Forum.

At the moment Daniel is performing five shows a week in the US, but he doesn’t consider it work.

He said: “When you enjoy what you do, it’s never really like working. I don’t ever feel like it’s a job, it’s something I enjoy and always have. “You have to put a lot of effort into it but it’s not the same kind of feeling as if you’re just working to survive. “Everything is well planned out. When we’re here [in the US] we do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, off Thursday. Then we’ll do Friday, Saturday and off Sunday. “Then we’ll leave here and go to St Catherine’s in Canada, then there’s four shows in Ireland before Christmas. “I suppose when you look at it, it seems like one thing after another but there are days off. I don’t find it too bad at all.”

milion is how much Daniel is worth after 38 years in music industry