1. When did you think about a career in music and what were your first steps into it?
I was an early starter playing traditional Irish music but I never thought about a career in music until met members of Bagatelle in 1978 and left my full time job as shipping manager for BP Ireland.
2. Best gigs you’ve been to?
All of my favourite concerts were in the 1980s. Tom Waits in Dublin was amazing. Tom is my favourite songwriter, you could say is my hero. I was actually supposed to meet him in a bar Bagatelle and his band frequented in New York, but I pulled out at the last minute. Sometimes it's good not to meet your hero. Paul Simon's concert in Dublin was brilliant too and another memorable concert was Bob Dylan in Earls Court, London. He has been my favourite singer since I was a kid.
3. Fantasy wedding/birthday party band?
None.
4. The record you’d take to a desert island?
Elton John's album Madman Across the Water. I'll never tire listening to this beautiful song. Actually Elton John's producer Gus Dougan produced Bagatelle's second album and he told me that he thought I not only looked like Elton John, but I sang like him too.
5. And the book?
Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey. It's an amazing story of age and how a photo got older while he stayed young.
6. Top three films?
Deliverance, The Shawshank Redemption and Casablanca.
7. Worst film you’ve seen?
Don’t know yet.
8. Favourite authors?
Conor McCarthy, James Joyce and William Shakespeare.
9. Sport you most enjoy and top team?
Formula One. I don't follow a specific team or driver, but I enjoy the buzz of Formula One Racing and have been to Monaco and Brands Hatch.
10. Ideal holiday destination?
Greece.
11. Pet hate?
Music in lifts and supermarkets.
12. What’s your favourite:
Dinner? Turkey and ham.
Dessert? Cheese.
Drink? Wine.
13. Who is your best friend and how do you know each other?
Kevin McCourt, who I've known for over 50 years. We grew up in Dundalk together as kids and this guy is so talented. Not only is he an accomplished musician, but he's also a pilot and accountant. Kevin and I do gigs together, independent of Bagatelle, and we've enjoyed touring all over the world together.
14. Is there a God ?
I don’t know.
:: Tickets for Bagatelle’s concert in Belfast's Europa Hotel tomorrow, March 2, are available from Ticketsource.co.uk and Irish Tour Tickets, Great Victoria Street, Belfast. Doors open 7.30pm.
