FAQ

Where are you from?

I’m from a little town called Ferbane in the middle of Ireland, far from the well-trodden tourist trail.

 

Where are you now?

I live in the Netherlands, a wonderful home from home.

 

When did you start playing music?

I started playing guitar at the age of nine and wrote my first lyrics aged fourteen. I still remember that first song. It will forever remain a secret.

 

When did playing music become a full-time occupation for you?

Not long after I left college in 1989. Initially, I had wanted to become a radio journalist but there was no work going. So I started busking in Dublin to make a few quid and before I knew it I was touring Europe with a band in a broken-down Volkswagen van.

 

What age are you?

The cheek.

 

Do you tour regularly?

Leaving corona aside for the moment, I don’t play as many gigs now as I used to – over two hundred a year at one point. I’m more selective now and that feels better for both body and mind.

 

What’s the best show you have ever played?

Too many to mention here, but a stand-out gig was at the Dranouter Festival in Belgium. It was during a heatwave and we were playing in a jam-packed marquee to a thousand delirious punters. The temperature on stage was tipping 50 degrees Celsius by the time we finished.

 

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Musically, my inspiration ranges from Bach on one end to Beck on the other.

But it’s what happens in everyday life that inspires me the most. Even the most mundane stuff can trigger a lyric or a tune.

 

Can you explain your fascination with the Voyager space mission?

To me, it is one of the most inspiring things humankind has ever achieved. Sending two little spacecraft beyond our solar system and into interstellar space. It stretches the imagination. It’s Star Trek territory. Beat that.

 

What are you busy doing at the moment?

Getting the new album ready for mastering, working on a video for the first single, testing the corona waters to see where and when I can start touring again, trying to figure out the right running order for the songs, so much to do, so little time…

 

Have you ever had egg in a cup?

Yes.