His father was a schoolteacher in Waterford and the family lived in Ferrybank. They usually spent the summer in Ring and it was there that Donal was born on 4 September 1922. He was educated at St. Patrick's College, Waterford. He was a fluent Irish speaker and maintained a lifelong love of Irish and the G.A.A. He emigrated to London in 1944. There he joined the Irish News Agency and began to cover news events. When they closed he was employed by the London editor of the Irish Press as reporter and writer.

In 1955 he joined the London office of The Irish Times. In 1963 he moved to Dublin as news editor for The Times. He was appointed deputy editor in 1977. In this post he encouraged a new style of reporter and especially women journalists. He was well known for his column in the Irish Times 'Man Bites Dog'. These articles were published in book form on an annual basis. In 1977 he published his autobiography 'Three Villages'. He died in Dublin on 7 July 1981.