Daniel O'Donnell, BIC

PERFORMING his third consecutive three-hour Bournemouth show last night the boy from Donegal was on his best form ever.

His first performances of 2008, he was determined to give fans a night to remember with a huge repertoire of country, easy listening and rock n roll all delivered with endless friendly banter, fancy footwork and good old joke telling.

It was like a gathering of old friends, on and off stage. The sea of white hair and letters he read out celebrating 80th birthdays, golden wedding anniversaries and successful hip operations revealed just how old these dear friends were.

Most of his band had just celebrated being with him 22 years, whilst his glamorous guest star Mary Duff has been singing (most beautifully) with him for 21 years.

The result was a supremely slick show that spanned his entire recording career, from that first 1983 solo release My Donegal Shore to a new song he has written for mothers and grandmothers. Available only as a download I suspect there will be few silver surfers ready and able to put Daniel on their iPod.

As he implied, he might just as well have asked them to "beam me up" as "download me".

However, he did get up close to many fans by spending ten minutes walking through the auditorium to shake hands.

Every song was a winner, from traditional storytelling tunes like Almost Persuaded and Danny Boy to Elvis hits, and uplifting spiritual numbers like Footsteps.

A tradition for 16 years, he closed the show with a rousing version of How Great Thou Art, rising to the ceiling in a white suit surrounded by stars.

Before he left he told fans:" We have such a good time it's almost sinful."

We'll forgive him!