Fishing village prepares for star wedding

A quiet fishing village in Co Donegal was tonight preparing for an influx of fans for country singer Daniel O’Donnell’s wedding.

The Irish star is set to marry fiancee Majella McLennan in his native Kincasslagh at 1pm tomorrow.

Friends, family and many of O’Donnell’s neighbours are invited to the wedding at St Mary’s Church, set at the water’s edge on the rugged Donegal coast.

The 40-year-old country and Irish singer, who has sold more than five million albums world-wide, became engaged to McLennan, 41, on Christmas day 2000.

His bride, an Irish businesswoman, is a divorcee who had her marriage annulled last summer.

Neighbours said that although the star had planned a traditional family ceremony, coaches full of fans were descending on the area.

Noeleen Sharkey, 35, and her friend Kate, 37, of Kincasslagh, said the village was used to a heavy presence of fans and that tomorrow would be no exception.

‘‘Tomorrow I think we will be inundated with fans,’’ said Kate, who attended the village’s Belcruit National primary school at the same time as O’Donnell.

‘‘There are rumours that there are coach loads of them.

‘‘Everybody here’s very happy for him - good luck to him, we wish him all the best.’’

Madelaine East, owner of Kincasslagh’s coffee shop, said the star was expected to speak to fans before leaving for his wedding reception in Letterkenny.

‘‘Everyone’s looking forward to it,’’ she said. ‘‘Most people in the neighbourhood are going, including us. He is expecting a few fans and people have said he’s going to speak to them after the church.’’

Outside the church a pile of crowd barriers indicated the number of fans that were expected to turn up.

Martina Connolly, of Keady in Co Armagh, said she had come to celebrate her 60th birthday with a sighting of the singer.

‘‘I’ve been a fan from the time he became famous,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re hopeful we will get a glimpse at some point.

‘‘I think there will be a lot of fans here tomorrow, there are buses said to be coming from Scotland and England.’’

She said she would be celebrating her birthday at the Viking Hotel which used to be run by O’Donnell’s family.

After the ceremony the couple and their guests will head to Letterkenny’s Holiday Inn for a traditional Irish reception.

Manager Peter Brady said the four-star hotel would be closed to the public from tonight until Tuesday, and that security staff would be present.

‘‘It will be really fun-packed evening with traditional Irish food and music,’’ he said. ‘‘I don’t think there will be any celebrities there, it will be a really happy family get together.’’

He said that as well as the hotel’s own security staff there would be O’Donnell’s bodyguards and members of the Garda Siochana police force.

O’Donnell began singing as a teenager before touring the Irish expatriate clubs in the UK and eventually playing to packed concert halls and arenas.

He was made an honorary MBE for his services to the music industry in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List this year.