"I have the greatest fans in the world" - Margo

A humble and emotional Margo O'Donnell was was inducted into the Irish Country Hall Of Fame on Friday night and this morning the girl from Donegal paid tribute to the people of Donegal for believing in her from the outset of her long-standing career. 

She was presented with the accolade by her brother singing star Daniel O'Donnell.

"I was delighted. I had decided I wasn't going up to the concert, I don't do a lot, I only do about four big concerts a year. I sent a message that I wasn't going to take part this year but I did wish them luck," the singer said. 

However, organisers weren't to be swayed and got straight back to the country singer asking her to come: "They didn't tell me about the award but they said we need you to come. So, I said it to Daniel and he said 'why wouldn't you come up? Come up surely.' So, I got ready and went up."  

This morning, she said she is glad she went adding it was an emotional night. 

Thoughts of her dear sister Kathleen Doogan, whom she lost earlier this year, weren't far from the singer's mind but she felt great support at the event from all those who were there supporting her.

"Kathleen was my only sister and she was younger than me and I never, ever thought that she would go before me," Margo said. 

She outlined how important it is to tell those you love how precious and loved they are during this lifetime.  

On Friday night, Margo felt surrounded my love and support by all those who were present on the show and people from across the country reached out to the star after the show to congratulate her on her deserved accolade.  

"The people have always shown me love and I felt an awful lot of love in the room, I couldn't explain it. I am over seventy years of age and it is just unbelievable the love that is still there and I feel very privileged," the Kinncasslagh native said. 

Margo said she is truly humbled on receiving the award: "I am humbled, it is just nice to be remembered after all these years. I joined the Keynotes in 1964 and it was 1968 before we recorded our first single record."

When they recorded their second record in 1969, the singer appeared on the Late Late Show for the first time. The impact her singing had on people's lives was reinforced to the star on the show on Friday night. 

"One of the RTÉ researchers came into the green room as the show was on a break. He said to me 'Margo a woman in the audience' and he had a little 45-single record in a white wee paper sleeve and he said 'a woman in the audience gave this to Ryan Tubridy tonight and she asked if she could get you to sign it' and that was my very first record with the keynotes," Margo said. 

Margo met the lady following the show and signed the cover: "I said imagine that you have held this record since 1968 and she said, 'I have.' You don't realise what you mean to people and sometimes when we think about people we don't always tell them how precious they are in our lives. 

"I wouldn't have the things I have today and I haven't much but I have enough but I wouldn't have them without the people. I have the greatest fans in the world," Margo said. 

Following the Late Late Show, country singing star Philomena Begley called the Margo from home. The next call came from her bother John. This morning, Margo is trying to reply to over one hundred texts on her personal phone without having had the time to look to the online response.

"Those people took the time to do that and I appreciate that," the 72-year old said. 

She recalled her great friendship with Big Tom and his wife Rose:" I was very close to them," she said. 

Margo dedicated her honour to her late friend, Big Tom and this morning at 9.05am the bell of her front door went and on answering Margo was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the McBride family who wanted to thank her for her kindness to their parents. 

"You can't buy that kindness - before I ever left Donegal, when I was with the Keynotes, we played around Donegal and it was four years before we recorded our first record and the people of Donegal believed in me before anybody believed in me. I come from the greatest county in Ireland, the greatest people, they are and even strangers who visit Donegal will tell you they are the friendliest people in the world," she said.