I was born in Kells, Co. Meath (the most invaded town in Ireland). I grew up surrounded by music and theatre. The piano in the living room became my best friend, a way to express my rebelious soul. My earliest memories are of my father playing the piano, entertaining family and friends. He was a great character and inspired me to take up the instrument. When I came of a drinking age I learned that the ability to play a song would yield free pints and long nights of music and craic. The most important thing in choosing a watering hole was firstly did it have a piano and secondly did they serve a good pint. There was a group of us who wandered around Ireland at weekends playing songs, drinking pints and having a laugh. Around this time I was working in various 9 to 5 regular jobs, I hated them all and lived for the weekends. The economy in Ireland was falling apart, like many others I headed west, firstly to New York and then on to L.A. This was the mid to late Eighties and the Irish arts scene was begining to emerge, I fell in with the drama crowd at the Irish Arts Centre and acted in various productions but my first love was still the music. This little piece of Ireland on the west coast of America can be a lonely place, hidden amongst the ballads and drama and craic are a lot of people who really want to be at home. I certainly did, as they say far away hills are green. I returned to Ireland with a clearer vison of the music I wanted to write.