“I Wish I Could Have Given Daniel O’Donnell a Baby” — Majella Opens Up About Love, Family, and Acceptance
In a rare and deeply personal interview, Majella O’Donnell has opened up about one of the most emotional chapters of her life — her wish that she and her husband, Daniel O’Donnell, could have had a child together. Speaking with Brendan O’Connor on RTÉ’s Time Out, the 58-year-old revealed that while she and Daniel have built a life full of love and laughter, there remains a tender part of her that once longed to give the beloved singer a child of his own.
“I suppose I wanted it more for Daniel,” she admitted honestly. “I’d had my kids — I wasn’t too bothered for myself. But I would have loved to have given him a child. I was 42. We didn’t do anything to prevent it, but nothing ever happened. It was kind of like it wasn’t meant to be.”
Her words were spoken without regret, only reflection. Life, she said, had its own quiet plan. “Now I’m so grateful, I really am,” Majella added with a small smile. “I’m grateful that I haven’t got a baby — or a fifteen-year-old — at this stage.”
The couple, who married in 2002, have built a marriage admired by fans for its warmth, humor, and resilience. Though they never had children together, Majella shared that Daniel has been “absolutely fabulous” with her grandchildren, showing a side of himself that fans rarely see. “We have two grandchildren and Daniel is wonderful with them,” she said proudly. “Getting up in the middle of the night, changing the poo-iest nappies, feeding them — he’s real hands-on.”
Her voice softened as she recalled one touching exchange between them. “I said to him, ‘God, it’s such a shame that you didn’t have your own children — you would have been a great father.’ And he said, ‘No, Majella, I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t have been here. I would have been away on tour, because that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be travelling all the time.’”
That honesty, Majella said, only deepened her respect for her husband. “That’s Daniel,” she explained. “He’s realistic. He knows the kind of dedication it takes to do what he does. But he’s also so full of love — and he gives that to my grandchildren in every way he can.”
Majella also looked back with humor and affection on the couple’s first encounters. “I knew Daniel O’Donnell — I knew the name,” she said with a grin. “Initially, I thought, ‘Country music, knitted jumpers, drinks tea, no craic.’” The audience laughed, but her tone was one of tenderness, as she recalled how her early assumptions quickly melted away. “He completely surprised me,” she continued. “By our second date, we kissed — and that was it. He was just so genuine, so kind. You can’t fake that.”
Through laughter and tears, Majella’s reflections painted a portrait of a love that has evolved gracefully over time — a partnership built not on what they lacked, but on what they shared: respect, humor, and deep mutual care.
“I think things work out the way they’re meant to,” she said softly. “I didn’t have another baby, but I have a husband who’s kind, generous, and has brought so much joy into my life — and that’s more than enough.”
For fans who have followed their journey through music, marriage, and health battles, Majella’s honesty once again reminded the world why the O’Donnells remain one of Ireland’s most loved couples — not for their fame, but for their humanity.
In a world full of fleeting moments, Daniel and Majella O’Donnell stand as proof that love, in its truest form, isn’t measured by what we have — but by how deeply we cherish what we’ve been given.