Don Conroy tells how career is soaring age 70 and believes being forced to retire at 65 is ridiculous

Exclusive: The iconic Irish TV personality is making a virtual comeback!

National treasure Don Conroy has told how his career is soaring age 70 and believes being forced to retire at 65 is ridiculous.

The veteran artist was the longest serving member of the Den when it started in 1986.

The iconic Irish TV personality is making a virtual comeback!

Ireland’s first ‘at home’ art teacher has launched his very own YouTube channel, Draw with Don as a way to reconnect to his fanbase digitally.

Don told the Irish Mirror: “I hit the big 70 recently, I feel about artists, you can’t retire from yourself, always look at the world with eyes of wonder, that’s the secret and nurture the child within.

“Michaelangelo went on until he was 88, so it’s a state of mind too, sometimes people who are 30 feel old.

“If you’ve a love of life, as long as you can keep going and learn something new every day is very important.”

The dad -of-five said retiring early came in during the industrial revolution and has no place in today’s society.

Her said: “Retiring at 65 only came in, in the early part of the 20th Century because people worked in big industrial places and they were literally burnt out, they were given a year to retire at 65 because most of them were dead at 66.

“Everybody should have the choice at what age to retire, the amount of wisdom that is being lost too.”

Don is grateful that he can now bring his painting tutorials to the Youtube generation, after being a massive sensation on RTE over decades.

He said: “Art is a universal language and music is one of the highest forms of communication, when people get to know a bit more about you, on TV there’s a new generation every five years, so I’ve hit about six generations.

“I’m so privileged to have been part of so many families lives.”

Millions of Irish expats are now tuning into Don across the world: “They love the bit of nostalgia, doing something their children can have fun with, you become a bit of a time lord, a bit like Doctor Who jumping around the place.”

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Don has teamed up with Spotify to create an accompanying Music To Paint To playlist for fans.

He said: “Spotify asked me would I come up with my favourite playlist to paint with, when I’m writing my children’s books, I tend to listen to classical music.

“But when I’m painting and drawing I like to listen to stories on music, it’s quite a wide range of stuff I’ve put on my list, there’s a top 40.

“From Enya to the Beatles to Sinead O’Connor to Clannad, there’s a wide collection there, the old favourites like Luke Kelly, Raglan Road and Leonard Cohen especially.

“Leonard said it best when he said it didn’t matter whether it was country or pop, he listened to the truth in the voice of the singer.”