20,000 see Daniel

DANIEL O'Donnell continues to attract massive audiences and while a staggering 10,000 fans went to see him live at five concerts in Killarnery last week a further 10,000 are expected to have viewed exhibits from his career at the Daniel O'Donnell Visitor Centre in Dungloe, Co Donegal by the end of next month. While he has taken a break from touring for most of this year Daniel agreed to do a residency in Killarney's NEC for five nights and it was a massive tourist boost to the town's economy. The opening of his visitor centre in Dungloe by businessman Pat Gallagher has also been a huge tourist boost for the Donegal town and it has seen a steady stream of fans from Ireland and overseas since it opened for the summer season from June to September. When he was approached about the idea Daniel agreed to give memorabilia from his career to those involved with the visitor centre as he felt that all small communities need to work together to find ways of attracting business to their areas. 'Everybody is in awe at so many of his achievements which are here on display. I think the memorabilia from his family room, in particular his school books from childhood have proved to be most popular with the visitors,' says Pat Gallagher. Visitors have also been surprised at seeing details of the massive audiences that he has attracted to his concerts at many venues around the world and at the array of Gold, Platinum and Silver discs for record sales that are on display. 'The â€ËœAround the World' corner displays discs, and other items, related to three million album sales in North America, half a million albums sold in Australia and seven million sold in the UK and Ireland. These have proved to be astonishing facts for the visitors as some of them, who were not fans, could not comprehend that he has enjoyed such huge record sales. But, seeing is believing here at the visitor centre.' The display of the 'This is Your Life' book presented to him on the popular UK TV show, is a very nostalgic exhibit for many, and people have also expressed huge interest in the exhibits associated with his appearances at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The wedding outfits worn by Daniel and Majella have also proved to be popular exhibits as is the white suit that he wore when he was a member of his sister Margo's band. Meanwhile many visitors, especially those from the UK and other Commonwealth countries, have been highly complimentary of the Queen's MBE accolade, presented to him by Prince Charles. On a local level his 'Donegal Person of the Year' award and items associated with his 'Freedom of Donegal' award, bestowed on him by Donegal County Council, have also attracted a lot of attention. On the live music scene over 10,000 tickets were sold across the five nights run for his concerts in Killarney. Fans in their thousands descended on the town bringing a much welcome boost to business in what has proved to be a difficult season to date. Fans travelled from Australia, Canada, United States, England, Scotland and Wales, as well as his countless fans from all over Ireland. All hoteliers, restaurants and welcomed the concerts with delight and shops not only in Killarney but also in the entire region, as many of Daniel's fans remained for extended visits. 'Daniel O'Donnell's popularity is unfaltering,' says Patrick O'Donoghue, Managing Director of the INEC and Gleneagle Hotel, Killarney. 'Once you have attended one of his shows, it is easy to understand why,' he added. The fact that the five INEC gigs were Daniel's only concert dates in Ireland this summer meant that the demand for tickets was phenomenal and all five shows sold out many weeks in advance. After the shows Daniel spoke of his delight at their huge success, and even though he will be touring around Ireland, and in the UK next year, he may opt for residencies in other towns, similar to what he did in Killarney, after his next tour of Australia in 2014. 'It is still a bit too far to plan ahead for that but it is worth considering and I am absolutely thrilled and amazed at the number of people who came to see the shows during our residency in Killarney,' he said. Daniel, as always, made time following each concert to chat with his fans during the Killarney shows last week. â€â€ T.G.