Daniel O’Donnell is holidaying in Tenerife when I manage to snatch a conversation with the legendary singer. He likes to “rest” for six months of the year and has a home out there as well as the mansion in Ireland.

But he’s worked hard for it all, spending the rest of his time touring the world non-stop, determined to keep singing live as long as the audiences want him. And considering his fans are still sleeping on pavements to get their hands on tickets, his appeal shows no sign of waning.

“I’ve always been amazed by the reaction. But I couldn’t tell you (the secret). I don’t know. You’d have to ask the people who buy the tickets,” he says in that lilting Irish accent. “But I am always humbled by the lengths people go to to come and see me. I’m just very lucky to be doing something I enjoy.”

Success certainly didn’t come overnight. Daniel O’Donnell nearly gave up on his singing career altogether in the early days. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning no,” he agrees, “but it’s the music business and it isn’t easy for the majority of people. I know it doesn’t look like that on the X Factor, but for every one of them there’s a lot of people who are still trying to get started, and in the beginning it is difficult.

“And I think if I’d known how difficult those years would have been, in terms of the music, I might never have made it. I probably should have been singing pop music,” he reflects,” but I love easy-listening Irish, that’s what I believed in and what I wanted to become successful at.”

But didn’t it get to a point where he’d decided to jack it all in and go out and get a day job?

“I did think about taking up another career in 1985 because I had no money and I didn’t know how I could continue, but then something clicked. And ever since then I’ve always felt very fortunate to be doing what I do and I never take it for granted.”

Success for the 48-year-old means selling over 10 million records to date and becoming a household name, with some of the most loyal fans in the business. But then again Daniel looks after them well. He even used to host an open day at his Irish home for his most devoted followers. “I don’t do that any more,” he adds, “but I still do the meet and greet at every show because I think that the people who come to see the show help me do what I do, and it’s the least I can do to shake their hand and say hello, and I think that being accessible has worked very well in my favour.”

In fact, the only major controversy he’s experienced since catapulting to fame, was when he met his future wife, because she was divorced, a no-no in Ireland. “Because Majella had been married before, it did create a certain amount of media attention,” he explains, “but once we had met and were sure of where we wanted to go (with our relationship) nothing was going to get in the way of our happiness and that has been proved,” he says firmly.

So does Majella tour with him? “No, she will do the Australian and New Zealand legs and has been to America with me a few times,” he says, “But often she flies over for weekends in the UK. But it’s OK like that because it’s what I’ve been doing all my life and I’m comfortable with what I’m doing.

“It’s not as if I made it after we met, it’s always been this way, so Majella accepts it as it is.”

This means that when Daniel is off, he makes sure he rests properly and enjoys his leisure time. “Six months of the year are off which gives me time to recover. In the beginning I was on the road all the time and if I could do it again I would take more time off, but at the time you think you have to keep going.

“So I go on lots of holidays, catch up with friends and make time for the people in my life. I like relaxing with my family in Tenerife, and playing golf,” he adds.

But now the tour is on its way to Oxford, Daniel is raring to go: “It’s always nice to mix up the show a bit, as well as making sure people get to hear the music they listen to at home and include the core songs – they’re all there.

“And there will come a time when people will want something else to enjoy, but at the moment I have no intention of slowing down and I tour a lot. My purpose in life is to sing live. Nothing beats singing a live show – it gives me the greatest enjoyment. Even though I still get nervous, I try to be as good as I can be and do the best show I can.”