'My hero': Birthday boy Daniel O'Donnell joins fundraiser for As Darragh Did

Daniel O'Donnell and Andrew McGinley have come together to offer fans the chance to attend a special intimate gig.

Donegal legend Daniel O'Donnell is celebrating a milestone this weekend as he turns 60 on Sunday.

The beloved country singer was fêted on the Late Late Show on Friday night with family, friends and fans gathering to celebrate the occasion.

There were video messages from country music stars such as Loretta Lynn and Garth Brooks as well as a cameo from two of Daniel's grandchildren.

While all the focus was on him, Daniel - who is almost as well known for his generosity as he is for his music - took the opportunity to highlight a fundraiser he is taking part in for As Darragh Did.

The charity is one of three set up by Andrew McGinley in memory of his three children — Conor, Darragh and Carla.

The three siblings were killed by their mother, Deirdre Morley, in January 2020.

Following their deaths, Mr McGinley set up Conor's Clips, Snowman for Carla and As Darragh Did.

The latter was was set up to encourage people to get more involved in their communities as Darragh had done throughout his short life.

Darragh, Carla and Conor McGinley. Picture: Andrew McGinley/Conor's Clips

Now Daniel and Andrew have come together to offer fans the chance to attend a special intimate gig.

There are 30 chances to win the prize which includes four tickets to the Daniel O'Donnell gig, two rooms in the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel the night of the concert, transport to and from the gig and food at the venue.

The concert in aid of What Darragh Did will take place in Newcastle Community Centre in Dublin next June and will mark Daniel's first Irish gig since the pandemic hit.

Speaking on the Late Late Show, Daniel urged people to buy a raffle ticket before it closes this Sunday.

"Our hearts went out to the family when this happened and just to help this man with his grief, if they could go on and buy a ticket.

"Even if they won the ticket and they don't go, I won't be annoyed."

The singer praised Mr McGinley's efforts to keep the memory of his three children alive.

"He is a marvelous man to be able to go ahead and I just don't know how he can get up every morning and take a step."

Sharing a photo of Daniel on the show in Friday night, Mr McGinley captioned a tweet: "There goes my hero" along with a link to the raffle.

Cancelled Late Late Show appearance

Daniel's promotion of the raffle on the RTÉ show follows some controversy over the cancellation of a planned appearance by Mr McGinley on the same show in October.

He was due to launch the charity raffle on the show but hours before the show was to air, Mr McGinley announced he would not be appearing.

The bereaved father said he was told that RTÉ received a letter saying that seeing him on the show would be painful for some people.

In a statement, RTÉ said: "We understand the immense grief of Mr McGinley and the sensitivities around this tragedy. RTÉ is obliged to adhere to BAI Codes when dealing with such sensitive issues.

"RTÉ spoke to Mr McGinley and also wrote to him a number of weeks ago explaining our reasons not to proceed with the planned interview on The Late Late Show on Friday 8th October.

"We have not commented on the specifics of our contacts with Mr McGinley. We have also respected the confidentiality of the representations we received from other family members."

Andrew McGinley was due to launch the charity raffle on the Late Late Show on October 8 but the appearance was cancelled.

Mr McGinley said the cancellation was a massive blow to the charities as it would have generated great exposure for them.

"I feel that the appearance on the Late Late Show would have been worth about 10,000 raffle tickets to us, which is about €100,000, which would have helped about 500 clubs and societies across the country."

In an open letter posted on social media, Mr McGinley wrote: "You can still hug and kiss your children yet chose to write to the Late Late Show to stop me even talking about mine.

"I'm sorry that it's difficult to hear their names but so many others in both families, their friends and everyone else who knew them well still need to speak about them.

"I hope you can understand that and find it in your hearts to allow us to do so."

Raffle ticket sales have so far raised almost €55,000 of the €60,000 target.

Tickets cost €10 and can be purchased here. Closing date is December 12 and the draw will be made on December 15.

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