Up to 1,000 devoted Daniel O’Donnell fans gathered today as the man himself cut the chord to officially open the world’s first Daniel O’Donnell Visitor’s Centre.
Fans travelled from as far as Canada and Scotland for the opening of the centre which people hope will breath new life into Dungloe.
Some queued from as early as 9am for the 2.30pm unveiling of a huge poster of Daniel outside the building which once housed the Northern Bank.
And Daniel even revealed it was in this very same bank in 1983 which he took out a €1,000 loan for his first van which he took on the road during his entertainment career.
Daniel, dressed sharply in a grey suit, green tie and blue shirt, didn’t disappoint.
Daniel, 50, said he hoped the opening of the centre, which contains much of his most-treasured memorabilia, will rejunenate the town.
“I really do think that during times of recession we have to forget about Dublin and about Governments and just do things for ourselves.
“I am hopeful that this little corner of Dungloe can provide the spark for to help the town grow again,” he said.
Not even a few drops of rain could dampen the spirits of fans who certainly didn’t need convincing that the centre will be a runaway success.
And Daniel even threw in an impromptu version of ‘My Donegal Shore’ which had fans singing along.
One fan, June Payne from Aberdeen in Scotland, revealed she has travelled an estimated 280,000 miles around the globe following Daniel for the past 25 years.
“He is just so genuine and I am so glad there is now a centre in his name. He deserves all the praise he gets.
“I wouldn’t have missed this opening for the world and I think it will be great for the area in general,” she said.
Pat ‘Nora’ Gallagher, whose idea it was to open the visitor’s centre after Daniel asked him to store some of the memorabilia some years ago, said they couldn’t have asked for a better day.
He said the huge crowds of people who turned up for the opening showed how much the people of Donegal and further afield simply loved Daniel O’Donnell.
“People know that Daniel O’Donnell is a genuine person and his fans are genuine people.
“Before this they saw him only whenever they saw him in concert be that in Ireland, Australia, America or wherever.
“We are hoping they can now come to Donegal to this centre, learn and see so much more about Daniel and discover Donegal and Ireland in the process,” he said.
The centre will be open from April until the end of September each year and it is hoped that at least 10,000 visitors will pass through its doors each summer.
The man himself personally welcomed the first 25 people on a tour of the centre which houses an A to Z of the man himself including many gold discs, his wedding suit, wife Majella’s wedding dress and even his first schoolbag.
The tickets, priced at €5, were selling like hot cakes to Daniel’s devoted fans yesterday.
The man himself was anxious to point out that this wasn’t a museum but rather a visitor’s centre.
“I think there’s a bit more of the story to tell before we can call it a museum,” said Daniel.
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