Nothing beats a call from Daniel

THE coronavirus pandemic and its effects are dramatic and widespread but hearing one Daniel O’Donnell’s voice at the end of the phone brightened up Eily Buckley’s day with a call from the Donegal celebrity.

Their friendship was cemented when Eily welcomed Daniel and Majella to her home two years ago for B&B Road Trip television series. Eily was one of 12 B&Bs throughout Ireland chosen to participate in the 2018 TV series and a production crew used the Millstreet St Patrick’s Day parade to backbone the progamme where Daniel and Majella were grand marshals for the special occasion.

“I had a pleasant surprise when I answered my phone, No need to ask who, it was the pleasant voice of Daniel O’Donnell himself, wanting to know how I was doing and telling me how things were with him in Donegal, needless to say in lockdown,” said Eily.

“He sent his best wishes to all in Millstreet and never forgets the wonderful reception that he and Majella got at our St. Patrick’s Day Parade”, she said.

Of course, Daniel and Majella joined Ryan Tubridy on the sofa of The Late Late Show, and viewers were left praising the couple after they raised an incredible amount of money – €1.1m for St Vincent de Paul. The pair told stories of how the charity has impacted the lives of many in the recent months in an all effort attempt to raise much-needed funds.

With gatherings non existent at the moment, the majority of Daniel’s world wide engagements are cancelled with his Killarney concerts scheduled for this August deferred by 12 months.