'Our grandchildren have brought us so much joy

Singer Daniel O'Donnell tells us about his new album, his gorgeous grandchildren and why he won't be going on The Chase any time soon

- Having a catch-up with Daniel O'Donnell is something we always look forward to here at Woman's Weekly.

And, as ever, the charming Irishman doesn't disappoint. Having just finished the UK stint of his latest tour, he's in fine spirits as he prepares to head to the US to wow audiences from New York to Florida.

'The UK tour was fantastic and the American tour is six weeks long, which is my longest tour ever in the States. I don't know how that happened, it crept up on me. But touring is great fun and we have a wonderful crew and touring group, enthuses Daniel. 'We enjoy one another's company and that makes it a joy to be away!'

The County Donegal native is equally ebullient about his new album, How Lucky I Must Be, which he finished recording earlier this year. What can we expect from it? 'There's a lot of original stuff on it that people won't have heard before, so I get to introduce those songs to the world, which is lovely. The title track is written by a Scottish singer-songwriter called Isla Grant. I heard the song and loved it, and I hope people will enjoy it. There are some older songs too, and I'm very lucky that I'm free with what I do and I can record the songs I like most.

When it comes to his music tastes, Daniel favours country, along with a bit of the legendary Cliff Richard. 'My favourite song of all time is Miss You Nights by Cliff. I love country music, and there are a lot of wonderful Irish singers too. I don't listen to modern music avidly, but I like some artists on the radio if they sound nice, like Ed Sheeran and Adele. They've got very broad appeal.'