Margo (singer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margo
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Margo in concert.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Margaret Catherine O'Donnell |
| Also known as | "The Queen of Country and Irish" |
| Born | 6 February 1951 County Donegal, Ireland |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Associated acts | Daniel O'Donnell, Philomena Begley |
Margo (born Margaret Catherine O'Donnell on February 6, 1951) is a famous Irish singer. She became well-known in the 1960s for her country music. Margo has had a very long and successful career since then.
Early Life and Family
Margo grew up in a small village called Kincasslagh. This village is in County Donegal, Ireland. She came from a Catholic family. Her parents were Francis and Julia O'Donnell. Margo had four siblings: John, Kathleen, James, and her youngest brother, Daniel. Daniel is also a very famous singer. Margo's father passed away when she was seventeen years old.
Margo's Music Career
Margo started singing country music when she was young, in 1964. She joined a local showband called The Keynotes. Her first song, "Bonny Irish Boy/Dear God," came out in 1968. She released another song in 1969.
Over the next fifty years, Margo sold more than 1 million records! She even performed with huge stars like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. In the 1970s, she hosted several TV shows for RTÉ, which is Ireland's national broadcaster. Margo has also won many awards during her career.
Her albums often feature covers of popular country songs from the 1960s and 1970s. In 2019, she released an album called "Old and New." This album included special songs that honored two singers who inspired her: Liz Anderson and Jean Shepard. Margo has recorded many songs written by Liz Anderson and Dolly Parton. On her album Margo and Friends, she even sang a duet with Dolly Parton called "God's Coloring Book."
Personal Life and Activities
Margo is the older sister of the well-known Irish singer Daniel O'Donnell. Daniel actually started his music career with Margo's band in the early 1980s.
In 2007, Margo was named "Donegal Person Of The Year." She spent much of that year traveling around Ireland. She acted as a special ambassador for her home county. Margo lives in Castleblayney, County Monaghan.
Since 1977, Margo has been involved in the search for Mary Boyle. Mary was a distant relative from Kincasslagh who went missing when she was six years old. In 2011, Margo released a song called "The Missing Mary Boyle." This song helped to raise money for a new search effort for the missing girl.
In 2015, Margo wrote a book about her life. It is called Margo: Queen of Country & Irish: The Promise and the Dream. The book was published by The O'Brien Press.
Selected Albums
Margo has released many studio albums throughout her career. Here are some of them:
- Margo and the Country Folk (1970)
- From Margo with Love (1971)
- Country Lovin' (1972)
- At Home in Ireland (1974)
- The Girl from Donegal (1975)
- Yes! Mr. Peters (with Larry Cunningham) (1976)
- A Toast to Claddagh (1977)
- A Toast from an Irish Colleen (1981)
- Ireland Must Be Heaven (1982)
- The Irish Songs I Love to Sing (1984)
- Margo Now (1987)
- A Trip Through Ireland (1989)
- Ireland on My Mind (1992)
- New Beginnings (1994)
- Old Friends of Mine (1995)
- Old Friends Share Old Memories (with Philomena Begley) (1996)
- The Highway of My Life: Shade of the Family Tree (1998)
- I'm Still Here (2002)
- Parcel of Dreams (2006)
- Stories in Song (2010)
- The World Through My Eyes (2012)
- The Promise and the Dream (2014)
