I was born
into a family of Lighthouse Keepers and Master Craftsmen in a
small coastal town called Balbriggan, north of Dublin, Ireland.
One of my earliest memories is of the sound of my Fathers trumpet
alarm
call resonating
throughout the little 2 up1 down house every morning cos he needed
at least half of the 11 kids to push his old Bedford van ....and
on a Sunday morning as he played the trumpet, marching behind
him around and around the table before he took us on our Sunday
mystery tour.
He would put one of the armchairs into the back of the van and
we'd all pile in........2 lucky kids up front and 9 bobbing heads
behind fighting over whose turn it was to sit in the armchair!
But as soon as the singing began, harmony ruled.......literally!
We'd usually end up on a local beach picking shells or washed up
coal. Or in the Autumn, out in the countryside picking wild crab
apples and damsons but all the way there and all the way back,
we'd sing along with our dad to all his favourite musicals like
some madcap hill billy version of the Von Trappe family!
There wasn't spare cash for music lessons but my eldest brothers
voice was noticed by a local priest who was an accomplished musician
and voice trainer. He became a champion boy soprano and there were
many reel to reel recordings of his voice in the house. I use to
listen to them mesmerised and at an early age learned to sing some
of the classical standards from them.
But at the same time I was also listening to my older siblings
record collections......mostly Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Neil Young
and Cat Stevens. So I left school with buckets full of naivety
and dreams of becoming a musical diva, a rock star and an opera
singer! So as Jack of all trades and Master of none, I joined Sinead
O'Connors ex rock group........Ton Ton MaCoote. While in the band
I did a musical, Blood Brothers and was also singing the classics
at weddings and funerals! Then on the road to no-where, disaster
struck. My youngest brother of 13 died and I woke up and began
a journey inside.
