Life- Sunday Independent
A SINGER-SONGWRITER FROM LIFFORD, CO. DONEGAL, HE HAS BEEN WRITING SINCE HE WAS 15. NOW 30, HE CAME TO PUBLIC ATTENTION WITH THE “YOU’RE A STAR” COMPETITION IN 2002 AND REPRESENTED IRELAND IN THE EUROVISION. HE LIVES IN STRABANE WITH HIS WIFE LOUISE AND THEIR CHILDREN KAYLEIGH, KYLE AND CEOLA.

I don’t normally sleep in. Since I got married and had kids, I’ve gotten used to not lying on. So I’ll usually be up by eight. I used to have a schedule. Before You’re a star, I was gigging constantly at weekends and at nights, and my wife was working. So I’d stay at home during the day, leave the kids to school and then come home , and that’d be my time for writing. People say you have to wait for inspiration- that’s crap. If you just sit down and leave yourself the space and time… I’ve always been writing songs.
My brother started playing music before me. He taught me a few chords and I picked it up. I started singing in competitions and I’d sing at functions like weddings- just covers like Elvis’s “Suspicious Minds”. In our house, we were always encouraged to get up and sing. My brother and I used to do gigs around Donegal, Tyrone and Derry. I was only 16 and I was earning money- it was great.
By the time I left school, our band had recorded an album with 10 songs on it- nine of them were mine. We did competitions like RTE’s “Search for a Star” and we were encouraged to keep writing. So we kept releasing stuff and covers, and lots of wee things accumulated over the years. I went to Rock School in Ballyfermot- it was great. It gave me a real appetite for the music and I made a lot of contacts, like with Francie Conway a songwriting coach. I went to Nashville a few times and did some sessions with songwriters. People think Nashville is just country music but there’s rock, blues, a culture of songwriting and loads of really good producers. That’s where I met my manager Shea McNelis. We came back and started doing demos, putting promo packs altogether, and he got me a lot of support gigs for Jack L, Aslan and the Four of Us, and then You’re A Star happened.
I was working in obscurity until You’re A Star, so I can’t knock it. People sneer at the Eurovision but I found it very positive. It gave me massive exposure. I never expected to be singing for Ireland but it was a nice thing. It shouldn’t be taken too seriously. It was like a big Mardi Gras. After You’re A Star, I put a lot of resources into gigging with the band. We knew we had to get an album out with my songs and take advantage of all that exposure. We set up our own record label, Swerve Music. We wanted to move outside Ireland and this seemed the easiest way. Since then, we’ve played in Sweden, Germany, France and America.
These days, I tend to tour a lot. I miss my wife and children but I don’t mind travelling. In fact, I quite enjoy waking up in hotel rooms. It’s great having someone to clean your room. I watch what I eat, so I like fruit in the morning and I love my cup of tea. Most days I might have interviews or I could be doing some studio work, or if not I try to cycle or swim. (I’m training for a triathlon at the moment) or we might be travelling to the next venue for a gig. We often travel through the night, if our next venue is far away. We’ve found it works best for us, especially as the whole traffic thing in Ireland is so crazy.
Before the gig, I like to go for a swim, relax or just get changed. I do vocal exercises for half an hour before I go on stage. In the past, you’d never know if any people would turn up. I’ve had some really bad gigs. I remember doing one when I had a really bad hangover. I’d gone out that day with some friends shopping and we ended up going to the pub. I got into the van to go to the gig and an hour later I woke up at the venue. I was pretty bad. My manager wasn’t happy and I’ve never, ever drank before a gig since. But I’ve had a lot of great gigs too. The best feeling is when people sing along and know the words of the songs.
I put a lot of effort into gigs, so they do exhaust me. But I’m so used to it that I don’t need to come down afterwards. Normally I come out afterwards and sign autographs and we sell some CDs, T-shirts and posters. There are groupies. Some girls make it very obvious they’re available, and they’d be throwing up bloomers and cuddly toys. My wife has seen all this, ever since You’re A Star, and she has learnt to deal with it. But that’s how I met her. We were both 17 and I was singing in a band. She knew the keyboard player and we got talking. She was a fan. Then we got friendly and the rest is history. I wasn’t famous then.
After a gig, I might have a sandwich, and I take rubex and hot water and honey- they’re great for my throat. Occasionally I might have a few pints but I don’t drink much when I’m gigging because it’s not for my throat.
Sometimes when you get home after gigging, it can be a bit weird. You have to settle in, and do all the normal stuff that has built up over a couple of weeks like going to the bank and cutting the grass. But you don’t want to waste time doing stuff like that when you want to spend time with your kids. Louise and I tend to make the most of it when we’re together. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. It’s a strange way to live.
Being a parent makes you more responsible. You can’t get up and go away for six months or travel Europe for a year. There are a lot of things you would like to have done as a young man but you can’t. It’s been difficult a lot of the time but I wouldn’t change a thing.