Mike Hanrahan: Stories from four decades at the heart of Irish music

5 Jul 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 27 chapters

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In short

Mike Hanrahan reflects on four decades shaping Irish folk/traditional music, from writing and performing in Stockton’s Wing and with Ronnie Drew, to major international collaborations, and his anger at RTÉ dropping the “Liveline” theme tune “Over the Moors.”

Guest backgrounds

Mike Hanrahan is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. He spent 15 years with Stockton’s Wing (writing “Beautiful Affair” and “Over the Moors”), then 10 years writing/performing with Ronnie Drew. He’s also supported Michael Jackson in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, appeared in Jim Sheridan’s The Field (with Richard Harris, Sean Bean, John Hurt), performed for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., and worked as a professional chef across Ireland.

Key claims

RTÉ’s rebranding of long-running radio theme tunes is “a sad day” because royalties and cultural nuance are lost to an English company. He argues Irish music’s resurgence is healthy and mirrors the 1970s era of boundary-pushing.

Notable examples

“Beautiful Affair” written in Doolin at ~18; “Over the Moors” used for Joe Duffy’s Liveline; Jackson’s Cork gig with Stockton’s Wing and Kim Wilde; Sinatra party with Brendan Grace; filming “The Field” American Wake scene; Carnsore Point anti-nuclear protest.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

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Brendan Grace's Party Performance

2:22 to 3:00

Mike shares a memorable experience of Brendan Grace's performance at a party.

“I mean, years later, I remember seeing one of the U2 gigs that came a little bit close to Drasimataz, but the Jackson gig was just out of its world, completely.”

The Evolution of Irish Music

3:00 to 4:04

Discussion on the transformation of Irish folk and traditional music over the decades.

“I went up after the second night and I remember thanking him.”

Mike's Musical Journey

4:04 to 9:02

Mike recounts his early musical experiences in Doolin and the creation of 'Beautiful Affair'.

“This was crowned the greatest gift grub of all time in a poll of up to 20 ,000 Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show listeners.”

The Roots of Hybrid Irish Music

9:02 to 14:00

Exploring the fusion of traditional Irish music with global influences in the 70s.

“for some of Ireland's most popular retailers.”

The Resurgence of Hybrid Irish Music

14:00 to 14:30

Explore the fusion of traditional Irish music with contemporary genres.

“But the music scene was fantastic in many respects.”

Influences from Iconic Irish Bands

14:30 to 16:26

Discover how legendary bands shaped the Irish music landscape.

“and Planxty, and Moving Hearts, and even Horselips in their own way.”

Questioning Authority in Music and Society

16:26 to 16:39

Learn about the cultural shift in Ireland as youth began to challenge norms.

“questioning everything and we were allowed to question everything in ourselves It was like a great freedom.”

The Hippie Lifestyle in Doolin

16:39 to 17:39

Delve into the bohemian lifestyle that flourished in Doolin.

“And I would often think that I left, in Doolin, my lifestyle was definitely a hippie lifestyle.”

Carnesore Point and the Anti-Nuclear Movement

17:39 to 19:45

Uncover the significance of Carnesore Point in the Irish anti-nuclear movement.

“Yeah, and you had a few odd priests who were guiding as well, that Father Michael Cleary and all of those, they were up there.”

Memories of the Clancy Brothers

19:45 to 21:14

Reflect on the impact of the Clancy Brothers in Irish music history.

“yeah and the security doors were big bales of hay yeah yeah and the Hare Krishnas were feeding us all were they?”
Show all 27 chapters

Famous Planksteen Songs

21:14 to 22:29

Discuss some of the most iconic songs of the band Planksteen.

“So the second question I wanted to ask you, because I was listening to In The Car, it's actually a question for you.”

Collaborations and Influences in Irish Music

22:29 to 24:11

Explore the collaborations and musical influences that shaped careers.

“They had a song called Little Muzz Grave, which went on forever.”

Supporting Michael Jackson in Ireland

24:11 to 24:39

Hear the story of how a local band opened for Michael Jackson.

“I came across in my notes and if you can try and give me some colour piece here now Mike Leanne he supported Michael Jackson That's true yeah In Parky Creve.”

Experiencing the Magic of Michael Jackson

24:39 to 28:00

Relive the unforgettable experience of witnessing Michael Jackson live.

“in any other city in his tour was to use a local band.”

Memorable Encounters with Sammy Davis Jr.

28:00 to 29:00

Hear captivating stories about performing with Sammy Davis Jr. and lessons learned.

Brendan Grace: Comedic Genius

29:00 to 30:28

Mike shares anecdotes about comedian Brendan Grace and his memorable performances.

“It's a reasonably well known Irish story and it's, I think it might be the same because he probably didn't do two gigs so it was Brendan Grace.”

The Field: Behind the Scenes

30:28 to 32:50

Mike discusses his role in the film 'The Field' and the challenges of filming.

“Brendan was a superb man was he great friend yeah was he great friend for so many years was he we did a lot of tours together did you was he a nice man oh sweet man yeah sweet great comic timing Superb.”

Resurgence of Irish Music

32:50 to 36:33

Discover the revival of Irish music and its evolution over the years.

“I'd never played the ball around before in my life.”

Personal Musical Journey

36:33 to 38:38

Mike reflects on his musical journey and the evolution of the industry.

“I loved it and I love what they're doing with the Irish language.”

Stockton's Wing and Iconic Tunes

38:38 to 42:01

The conversation shifts to iconic songs like 'Over the Moors' and their cultural significance.

“And you're going to go around and tour that?”

Reflections on Over the Moors and Radio Changes

42:01 to 44:48

Explore the impact of rebranding on Irish music and culture.

“That's the sound of Live Line, Over the Moors, written by Stockton's Wing.”

The Legacy of Sunday Miscellany

44:49 to 47:36

Discuss the significance of iconic tunes in Irish radio history.

“Apparently they went to some of the music colleges, but I think it was really shabby and it's an opportunity lost and there's so much money gone to somebody who knows zero about our culture.”

Collaborating with Ronnie Drew

47:37 to 52:28

Insights on the life and music of the legendary Ronnie Drew.

“and definitely for Liveline I mean it was it became iconic extra show.”

Ronnie Drew: A Personal Tribute

52:29 to 56:00

Personal anecdotes that illustrate Ronnie Drew's character and legacy.

“God we had just a most beautiful time together he was he was a gorgeous man and he had a beautiful heart and he was the grumpiest man you could meet in your life.”

Upcoming EP and Art Collaboration

56:00 to 58:29

Learn about Mike Hanrahan's upcoming EP and the artistic collaboration with Eleanor Shanley.

“Shel Silverstein was the guy that wrote it.”

Art, Music, and Dementia Care

58:30 to 1:02:08

Discover the intersection of art, music, and brain health in dementia care.

“Well, I was I was introduced to dementia through my mum 12, 14 years ago and I knew nothing about it and when she died I decided to try and learn something about it.”

Empowering Dementia Patients Through Music

1:02:09 to 1:05:15

Explore how music can empower and engage individuals with dementia.

“I have my own little story about that but years ago I got involved with our ladies hospice in Harald's Cross and they asked me to come in and do a couple of, like they do the coffee mornings on different years.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

0:00From GEICO Subconscious News, I'm Tammy Racing Thoughts. Tonight, you just left for work and had a non-specific feeling that something was happening to your place and it wasn't good. Dan? Exactly, Tammy. It could be smoke damage, theft, or just too much caffeine, but you can't stop thinking about it. But with renter's insurance through GEICO, your stuff is covered, so you don't have to worry. And that's great, because the weekend is coming up and it's chock full of social obligations that are ready to fill that void. Oh boy, will they, Dan? It feels good to worry less. It feels good to GEICO. The Mario Rosenstock Podcast.

0:32Thanks to HUM. Finance made easy when you shop tech, electrical, appliances, kitchens and much more. Flexify Europe Limited. Trading as HUM is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Coming up on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. And Brendan Grace did the party. Yeah. And Brendan Grace killed it. He brought the house down. We were at the party. Were you? We played at the party. Yeah, so you remember that party? I remember. And do you remember Brendan? I do, of course. I knew Brendan really well and did he kill it absolutely nailed it and gave Sinatra a hiding like did he he did he was he was amazing and Sinatra was on the floor laughing

1:20what do Michael Jackson Frank Sinatra Ronnie Drew The Field and one of Ireland's most iconic radio theme tunes all have in common the answer is my special guest on this episode Singer-songwriter Mike Hanrahan. Mike has spent over 40 years writing, performing and championing Irish music. Indeed, he has been at the forefront of the remarkable evolution of Irish folk and traditional music over that time. Mike spent 15 years with Stockton's Wing as songwriter, guitarist and singer, writing hits such as Beautiful Affair and Over the Moors, which was the theme tune for Joe Duffy's iconic radio show for over 40 years until recently, and Mike has very strong opinions on the decision to drop it.

1:55He went on to spend 10 years writing and performing with the legendary Ronnie Drew, with whom he became a close friend. He's also supported, would you believe, Michael Jackson in Parkey Cueve, appeared in Jim Sheridan's The Field alongside Richard Harris, Sean Bean and John Hurt, performed for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. He even spent years as a professional chef in kitchens across Ireland. And we have a great chat about all of these stories and more in this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast. It was how he entertained his moves and all the gadgets he had, the lighting. It was an incredible gig, was it?

2:28I'd never seen anything like it. I mean, years later, I remember seeing one of the U2 gigs that came a little bit close to Drasimataz, but the Jackson gig was just out of its world, completely. So the money has gone to some English company who are not on the ground here. They don't understand the nuances of each show, like the producer of each show who chose their sig tune knew what the show was about, and they tried to match the music. Every one of them tried to match the music to their show. And that's gone. And I think that's a really sad day. And yeah, I'm pissed off over that. But Sammy Davis Jr., Jesus.

3:04I went up after the second night and I remember thanking him. You know, maybe thanking somebody. Oh, Jesus, you have no idea how much the real Irish thank you. And he just stopped me and he says, you know, life's a two-way street. He said, I'm in Dublin and I know I've got a great band. that's great for my geek he said I've never forgotten that so getting back was really exciting but it was frightening too because the record industry was different they used to say you had eight weeks to break a single and you go out to all the radio stations and pile their records into the boxes and keep bringing them and plug it and all now you've got eight seconds good afternoon to you and Mike Joe Duffy here sorry and Mike will also be telling me Joe Duffy why he's raging about the long running theme tune being dropped by my show the iconic radio show It's an absolute disgrace.

3:50Scandal is dropping off from the live line. A new presenter, Kieran Goody, not doing as good a job as I do, not whipping up the masses like I was able to do it. But why did they drop this iconic tune? But before I'm joined by Mike Hanrahan, it's time for this. This is a classic gift grub. This was crowned the greatest gift grub of all time in a poll of up to 20 ,000 Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show listeners. Do you remember this? European Championships 2004. 22 years ago David Beckham misses a penalty against France Zinedine Zidane scores for France the next morning we put out a sketch called Dry Your Eyes Bex this is 22 years old folks enjoy how did you feel Bex the moment you knew you missed it Bex I'm just standing there I can't say a word because everything's just gone I've got nothing, absolutely nothing One single moment, your whole life could turn around In the distance I see Wayne Rooney fall into the ground Looks like he's going to give it, then looks like he's not But finally the referee is pointing to the spot It all comes down to this then, it's like everybody says As I stare into the eyes of Fabien Barthez Will I go left, will I go right, haven't decided yet Son it, I'll just stick the thing in the back of the bloody net I let fly with my right boot, my whole world begins to freeze.

5:19I'm begging the silver ball, please go in, please. I see a Union Jack in the air as somebody waves it. But my whole world is in despair, because Barthes saves it. Dry your eyes, man. I know it's hard to take, but obviously as I said before, like. There's plenty more games in Group B. Dry your eyes, man. You'll have a chance to prove yourself against the Swiss on post-air Or at the end of the day like it's war So then the lads start looking at me as if I've committed a crime But we're still 1-0 up going into injury time The ref checks his watch and we all look at the clocks Then Heskey commits a foul on the edge of our box We all regroup and make a wall, stand there hand in hand There's no sign of posh at all, anywhere in the stand We all know what they're gonna do, it can only be one man.

6:13They all call him Zizou, his name is Zinedine Zidane. I wonder if he remembers how in the tunnel I gave him a kiss. I wonder if it'll please, please, please make him miss. But he sticks it in the net, which means now we're all level. Now all I've got left are the tears of Gary Neville. Dry your eyes, man. I know it's hard to take, but obviously as I said before, I... There's plenty more games in Group B Dry your eyes, man You'll have a chance to prove yourself against the Swiss on Thursday Or at the end of the day like It's over We're all over the shop, when will the ref blow the whistle? We're not playing like England no more, more like Partnick Thistle We need a pep talk, a speech, a helping hand, a sermon Because we're not getting nothing from this ref who just happens to be German There he goes again, giving out the yellow card When suddenly the ball breaks to Steven Gerrard I see the hopes of a nation, all going up in flames With a lunge of desperation from upkeeper David James The ref points to the spot, God I'll give you a million quid If you please, please, please make Zidane do what I did But he sticks it in the net, how could I think he would miss Cause I'm starting to regret giving Zidane that kiss Oh dry your eyes man I know it's hard to take, but obviously as I said before, like...

7:36There's plenty more games in Group B. Dry your eyes, man. You'll have a chance to prove yourself against the Swiss on Thursday. Or at the end of the day, like... It's over!

8:03Oh, Bexy.

8:08And that sketch first went out on the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show in June 2004. Would you believe 22 years ago? I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember watching the match in town. I remember rushing into studio. We'd had an idea before that Dry Your Eyes by the Streets featured a singer who sounded remarkably like David Beckham, we thought, or at least an impression of David Beckham. And we said, if anything comes up with Beckham, we might jump on that. And of course it did. The story of the tournament when Bex missed the penalty against France. And Zidane scored the penalty to win the game for France.

8:41So it was a funny moment. And we put something out the next morning. And people responded in their droves to that. You can get in touch with me, mariorosenstock at gmail.com. Any new characters you want me to do. Any new guests you want me on the podcast. You want me to feature on the podcast. and our thanks to HUM for partnering up with the Mario Rosenstock podcast. HUM is a finance company which provides flexible payment solutions for customers for some of Ireland's most popular retailers. They can help you make your purchases and pay back in bite-sized, easy payments. It couldn't be easier.

9:12Festival season is here, folks. And if you're in the market for tents, outdoor speakers, tech or fitness gear to get you all set up, HUM has got you covered. And thank you to HUM for getting involved, not only in podcasting, but the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Time to meet Irish music legend, Mike Hanrahan. Very interesting time to have Mike on the show because over the last few years, there's been a huge resurgence of interest in Irish music. So many amazing groups forming and doing really interesting things. Lancome, Amble, Kingfisher to name just a few. And I get into all of that with Mike a little later in the interview.

9:41But we start back at the very start of Mike's musical journey in a beautiful place called Doolan in County Clare. So Mike, on the way in the car, right, I was listening to two songs to warm me up for this interview on the way in the car. and I want to have a question for you about one of the songs which you might not be able to answer and the other song of course you'll know very well so I'll tell you the second song first of all the second song was Beautiful Affair and that was written by you guys in Stockton's Wing Yeah I wrote it You wrote it Way back in the day yeah Where did you write it?

10:13I wrote it in Doolan I'd left school I did my leaving search and I was working in Shannon I got a job in Shannon and then I headed to Doolan and discovered music and a lot of crack there. So I spent most of the next couple of years up and down to Doolin and getting to know people from all around the world. It was a whole new world. It was like, I often say now, I never went to college, but I went to Doolin. Was it a very bohemian place? Huge, hugely. Tell me a little bit about it. There was a lot of poets and musicians, writers, crazy dancers, crazy artists from Holland and Australia. So it opened up my mind completely because I come from a very strict Catholic background and that was my upbringing.

11:05So suddenly you're in a place and you're open to new books and new music and you're reading philosophical books that you don't really understand but you think you do. I just found it really incredible. And that song, I think, it took me years to understand what it was all about, but it's all about kind of heading off up the mountain or out onto a boat and just grabbing whatever's ahead of your life. And that's what the song means. And it was really all about that. The imagery is all due on it as well. What age did you write it? I would have been about 18, I'd say. Yeah, really? 18, yeah. And we recorded with Stockton's Wing when I was about 20, I think.

11:47Yeah. For my listeners, if you can get a chance, put in Beautiful Affair, Stockton's Wing, into YouTube. It's an absolutely gorgeous song. And it starts off with kind of an acapella harmony with all the lads. And they're kind of going, walking around, come into the sound. Forget you're down, feel the air. Beautiful Affair. And then the song starts and it goes into the first verse. I'm very impressed you've even got the harmony lines there. Slightly, yeah. I would have heard it when I was very young. and it's a lovely beautiful song beautiful song the song then goes into the first verse and it uses a kind of an unusual little bit of percussion at the beginning it's almost slightly reggae-ish it is and the whole vibe of that album that it came from there was a lot of reggae in it was there?

12:34yeah Steve Cooney arrived into the band he was an Australian bass player and he was a guitar player by trade when he came here but he beautiful bass player and he introduced us to these songs P.J. Curtis, who produced it, had produced so many amazing Irish albums. So he had developed this interest in rhythmic instruments from all around the world. So we had things like what they're called guiros, multiguiros. There was percussion. Tommy Hayes was our percussionist. He was just beginning to develop a real interest in world music as an Irish bar-arm player. So it was at that time where we were. It was a great time because the band were wide open for any kind of thing that was put in front of us.

13:15and we had a great producer we had great ideas with some great songs and great tunes and that's yeah it was definitely reggae right at the best sorry because I would never claim to be an expert of course so I was just guessing that I was picking up on that kind of yeah even the guitar chops are all reggae and we would have been huge fans of Bob Marley yeah and I was thinking around that time Marley the Wailers and everything would have been huge so this was late 70s and the 70s in Ireland although it was a very grim and depressing place in many respects. Mass unemployment, very socially conservative, two oil crises, no money, nothing to do.

14:00But the music scene was fantastic in many respects. And one of the aspects of the music scene, well, you can correct me if you want, was that there was a kind of a resurgence in what you might call kind of a hybrid Irish music, an Irish music which embraced the outside world, embraced the real world, reggae, rock, contemporary pop, and fused Irish music in an Irish way with that music. And I'm thinking about bands like you, Stockton's Wing, and Planxty, and Moving Hearts, and even Horselips in their own way. And even the Dubliners who brought their old style music into that modern era by making traditional Irish music kind of en vogue again.

14:50Yep. And the Dubliners would have been a huge influence on us as kids. And we became great friends. Ronnie and Drew and myself were very close friends as we got older. so I always had that sound of Ronnie's voice in my ears since I was a child and I think what they did with music was incredible the way they brought it all around the world, people at the Clancy Brothers did the same thing, I think in the 70s I always look at Horslips as my main go to, they really influenced me I was a huge fan I still have a scrapbook I kept on Horslips when I was a kid, posting photographs onto the scrapbook and in 2018 we did a show in with the horse lips and I brought the scrapbook with me and I got the last to sign it again I think they were a great band the Botti band were massive and Planksteen came Moving Hearts came much later but Christy and Donald were doing some incredible stuff with the music I also think though that that era even though we were coming out of all those, that poverty and but it was an era where the Irish my generation were beginning to think for themselves probably for the first time I mean we were challenging government we were challenging our own faith we were we challenged the government on Cairnsor that festival in Cairnsor Point was incredible so there was a great it was a great era for me to be growing up because we were questioning everything and we were allowed to question everything in ourselves It was like a great freedom.

16:31Do you know what it was a little bit? They say things come to Ireland or always a little bit late. It was like our 60s. Yeah, people often say that. Is that right? Yeah, people often say that. And I would often think that I left, in Doolin, my lifestyle was definitely a hippie lifestyle. That's how we kind of, we were very free and bohemian. And I think that allowed our brains to open up to other things. And we were breaking away from the church. I mean, my age group, we were the first when we really smashed that church control over our thinking. And how ironic that at the very end of the decade where we tried to smash the church, the Pope did a last-ditch effort to get us back by visiting us.

17:12Young people of Ireland, don't leave me. Forget Carnesaw Point. Mike, Stockton's wing, I implore you, a beautiful affair can be had with God. Come back. all is forgiven I actually when he came over I was 79 I think he was I went I went to Limerick with my mum just to be go down and see what all the racket was about and I'd heard about Galway and he was like he was all cooed out in Galway and his speech in Limerick was like Jesus no not anymore he was just back he was back on message again you know don't be doing this don't be doing that so I said yeah I could have looked why he had a bit of a flight of fancy in Galway did he?

17:58oh yeah he was young people of Ireland he was all and then what did he do in Galway stop raining get your eye together in Galway he was the young people in Limerick he was back on message okay how dare you sin and your your heathen race of young people yeah he was terrible he understood his audience there yeah exactly he played his he played to the crowd yeah yeah so he was with all the hippies in Galway you see all the bohemians they only get up at midday yeah and they'd be cool yeah they liked the singing of young people of Ireland yeah but in Limerick that meant business and he could tell that.

18:29Yeah, and you had a few odd priests who were guiding as well, that Father Michael Cleary and all of those, they were up there. Michael Cleary with his children. Yeah. With his children. Tell us, I only remember the name. Tell our listeners about Carnesore Point and how big it was. What was it about and what big it was? Well, Desi O'Malley was the minister at the time and he had decided to... I'm so impressed with Desi O'Malley.

18:59Yeah, that's him. And he wanted to bring nuclear power and set up a station in Wexford. So Eilish Moore, actually, who only died recently, she was Christie's sister. She was a real, she was a powerhouse and she set up this anti-nuclear movement that spread around the country. And each town had little groupings. I was with Maura O 'Connell at the time singing songs with Tumbleweed and we jumped on board and suddenly thousands of people came to Cairnshire and we had an effect our voice it was a bit of a Woodstocky vibe wasn't it? big time it was our own Woodstock I remember Christy Moore was down there and he was on security backstage was he?

19:45yeah and the security doors were big bales of hay yeah yeah and the Hare Krishnas were feeding us all were they? we had to go in and listen to him and all that but you've got to be So who kind of played there? Oh, and Christie did. I suppose Luca Bloom. Whoever was around. Everybody in Christie's family, basically. Everybody in Christie's family and and all those bands that were around Dublin at the time, the rock bands from The Meeting Place, which was a big gig in Dublin. Yeah, all the regulars. Okay. Very good. You mentioned the Clancy's there as well, of course. Bob Dylan was a big fan of the Clancy's.

20:24Yeah, massive. massive fan of the Clancy's and I was lucky to work with Liam for a couple of years play guitar with him and he was magnificent boy I grew up again you know I grew up I'd go into we had it I was living in Waterford in a farm and we had you know a little record player in the turntable in the good room where it was always cold because they never put the heat on there that's right but I'd go in because it's the only place I could listen to comedy albums and comedy records and also music records and one of them was the Clancy brothers and Liam Clancy and red is the rose that in yonder garden grows.

21:01You know? I do. There is the lily of the valley. Beautiful. And nobody could sing it like him. No. And nobody could sing many songs like him. He was... Yeah. And so anyway, Dylan was a massive fan of his. So the second question I wanted to ask you, because I was listening to In The Car, it's actually a question for you. It's a Plankste thing. Right. Right. So it's one of Plankste's famous songs, I think, called She Vyug She Vur, right? Yeah. And it goes, it's with the pipes. Yeah.

21:35So, but I'm mixing it up with another Plankste song, which used to, it was an enormously famous song, like the sound of the early 70s, and again with the pipes, and it used to go do do do do do do do do do do do do do

21:59You know that? I do, yeah. Is that She Vyok She Moor? What's that? That's Tourdom de Love. Tourdom de Love. Okay, now you gave it to me. Give me your hand. Oh, Tourdom de Love. That's the one. Sounds very like She Vyok She Moor. Yeah, and it broke into that after one of the songs. What song? The second song it broke into that tune. It's Tourdom de Love. Yeah, yeah. That's the one. I mixed it up with She Vogue, She Moore. I was going, this sounds very like the thing I'm thinking of, but it isn't it. They were great bands. They had a song called Little Muzz Grave, which went on forever. And everyone said, you won't get anybody to listen to that because it was like, it was, Jesus went on for nearly half the side of the album.

22:41But it was powerful because every inch of it was perfection, pure perfection. When you hear Tour Dumb, when I hear Tour Dumb the Love now in full pelt with those guys going, my hair stand on my arm with the power of it it's tap it's channeling something it's channeling ancient Ireland but it's but it's now yeah and they had they had everything amongst within the band there was Donald Lunny and Andy Irvine together as a for what they did with the strings was off the charts no one has ever done anything like it has they not not familiar no they just had an understanding and they they looped in and out of each other's playing did they it was really special and he's still around don't he and Andy's still touring is he still?

23:22yeah and Donald I met Donald in January at the Deadly Age show he was in the Great Farm yeah good but Andy's still touring good he tours all over Europe good would they never play together again? they did a few gigs and they had a few gigs but Donald got sick was ill so they had to pull the few gigs last year and if you want to put in something else into YouTube just put in Arthur McBride being played by Paul Brady on a guitar yeah the way he can play the way he can finger that guitar the way he plucks and fingers that guitar and his voice especially when he was a younger man no he's a great voice now I've seen him recently but the way he could bend his voice in that Irish in that Irish Chan-Nosi style Unique his style was so unique and he was a super guitar player still is a super guitar player Paul's great So one of the things I came across in my notes and if you can try and give me some colour piece here now Mike Leanne he supported Michael Jackson That's true yeah In Parky Creve.

24:20Tell me about that story. We did two nights there. Oliver Barry was our manager and he was the promoter. So when he nailed Jackson for the gig, everyone thought, wow. So Oliver was in negotiations and he convinced Jackson to do something that Jackson hadn't agreed in any other city in his tour was to use a local band. Is that right? He had, Kim Wilde was the support act. Oh, brilliant. I love Kim Wilde. And he convinced Jackson's Code that we would be a right fit in Cork for the crowd. And yeah, we got the gig. We did two nights in Cork. He did two nights, did he? Yeah, two nights in Parky Ceeve.

25:03And Parky Ceeve had been, Shames and Cushley was a big festival there. John Denver and all that. Yeah, we'd been there a few times. So yeah, we got the gig and we got to see his band. And we got to hang out with his band a little bit because they'd never heard. anything like what we were doing with Irish music because they would have been serious musicians serious players they were serious players right so they would have been interested in you oh completely like hey man what's going on here so we got to hang out with them a bit and that was really nice we never met Jackson at all did you not no we saw the back of his head and that was it is that all yeah that's it yeah he'd be that shepherded oh shit Jesus there was a crowd he was like there was a melee around him it was wild did you watch a bit of him I saw both gigs.

25:49I was mesmerised. Were you? Oh, yeah. What? Why were you mesmerised? Performance. His energy. His dancing. The songs. But the band were. Jeez, the band were. What about his stage presence? Superb. He was just, he was all about the audience. Was he able to deal with an audience? Yeah, sure. He had just entertained. He said very little, if I remember, but it was how he entertained. His moves and all the gadgets he had. appearing under the stage and the lighting. It was an incredible gig. Was it? Oh, jeez. Was it otherworldly-like? Yeah. I'd never seen anything like it. Really? No. I mean, years later, I remember seeing one of the U2 gigs that came a little bit close to Dras Mataz, but the Jackson gig was just out of this world completely.

26:36Brilliant. He was, yeah, he was, he was touched by, performance-wise, he was touched by something, wasn't he? Oh, yeah. and something special just the movement and and then everything was coordinated I mean I always remember like there was nothing disjointed about the stage set up everything was I read years later how he was so serious about his rehearsals and everything had to be spot on and he worked harder and you could see the work he threw himself into it he completely gave himself to it yeah you almost feel like that when he was asleep he was practicing his dance moves in his dream no do you know what I mean so committed he was to it but I was laughing because thinking of Stockton's wing and did you go down really well there?

27:22Yeah, sure we were I mean you arrive into a stage in Cork at a Michael Jackson gig and you're announced Stockton's wing everyone knows us because we had it was towards the end of our huge time on the scene and we had seven amazing years on top and then the crowd just our own here's one of our own and that was the vibe you got it's like yeah go on lads go on yeah great fair pleasure and in Parky Kee so yeah it was cool and so they gave you the full yeah it was it was really great we were very lucky around that period because Sammy Davis Jr. came the following year with Frank Sinatra and we played at a private party for him in Dublin yes and Sammy invited us on stage with him yes to do two nights and that was phenomenal now he was an incredible performer oh my god what a mimic oh we had only one channel at home so the movies we got were we'd seen all the the Sinatra movies and Sammy Davis movies so when like to be on stage with him and we met Sinatra he was a lovely man and Lisa Minnelli was lovely but Sammy Davis Jr Jesus I went up after the second night he got us over undressing him and all we were just spoiled rotten for the two days and I remember saying thanking him you know anybody thanking somebody oh Jesus like you have no idea how much the real Irish thank you I don't know we'll say prayers and he just stopped me and he says you know he says life's a 2S street he said I'm in Dublin and I know I've got a great band that's great for my gig he said he said 2S street never forget it I never have I've never forgotten that cool he's so really it was brilliant life lesson yeah brilliant I think I have another actually I have another story about you might be familiar I think there's another story about that particular gig the Frank Sinatra of Sammy Davis Jr gig.

29:14It's a reasonably well known Irish story and it's, I think it might be the same because he probably didn't do two gigs so it was Brendan Grace. Oh yeah, Brendan was at the party with us. Correct. Now Sinatra loved comedians as you can imagine. You know, he spent half his life hanging around with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis and the Rat Pack. But he wanted somebody over here to do a party and Brendan Grace did the party and Brendan Grace killed it he brought the house down we were at the party were you? we played at the party so you remember that party? I remember and do you remember Brendan? I do of course I knew Brendan really well and did he kill it?

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29:52nailed it and gave Sinatra a hiding like did he? he did he was amazing and Sinatra was on the floor laughing because he's not used to getting a hiding no he was on the floor laughing it was just it was Grace and DeWing who did the party we were invited by Jim Hand actually invited us and yeah so we got the gig for two nights with Sammy and Grace got a career in America he did I read about that after the gig Sinatra got on to his friends and they started booking Grace over in Vegas and everywhere yeah it was great and Brendan loved it Brendan was a superb man was he great friend yeah was he great friend for so many years was he we did a lot of tours together did you was he a nice man oh sweet man yeah sweet great comic timing Superb.

30:42And on tour, he never let up, never stopped. I mean, we shared, we did a tour. You mean he was always joshing? Constant. We did a tour in Australia together, and we were sharing his dressing room with Brendan. And whatever Brendan's gig or our gig, what was going on with dressing him was just first-class comedy from Brendan. Like scenes, I always remember the last night, he came in at the last night of the tour, and he just stripped all his clothes and threw them on the ground and started dancing on them and abused them to close and said, I'll never see you again. But it was just the way his timing.

31:18And he'd, he was a guest singer. Yes, he was. Amazing singer. And his stories were, oh yeah. Great. He was great. And another thing I wrote down here because I love picking up on these little things is you, were you, did you perform as a band on the field, the film? Yeah. So tell us about that because that's a favourite Irish film. Richard Harris Sean Bean John Hurt John B. Keane play the famous John B. Keane play The Field Go home Yank Go home I'll dance with you Redhead Yeah I'll dance with you Yeah yeah yeah Would you dance with the tenker would you Yeah yeah And Go home Yank Yeah And So tell me your involvement Well There was an American Wake series Scene in it Where the night before people went off to America from the village and we were the band at the American Wake playing and it was the scene where Sean Bean is mad to dance with the redhead but your man is not having any of it, Richard Harris he's not having any of it at all and he takes her out on the floor and then swings around and then he gets to the yank and all that.

32:37So we were playing the music for that. Live? Live. And we were there for two weeks. Would you do that? Two weeks and two days. Two weeks shooting those scenes? For about three and a half minutes. Is that right? Yeah, yeah. It almost boggles the mind how you can be so long doing a thing. I'd never played the ball around before in my life. And Jim Sheridan says, well, we can't have a guitar, Mike, because there were no guitars in the 50s in Ireland. Was there not? Playing Irish music. Okay. so he said you'll have to learn the baron so I bought a baron and started learning that I couldn't play but after two or three days I couldn't even hold the stick I was so tired everything was it was bizarre but Harris had couldn't dance he had two left feet like okay he was just no rhythm none whatsoever so if you see the film you'll always see him when he's dancing he's always filmed from the waist up is that right they don't film his legs at all not even film oh it's great and it was great to be part of it it was like it was a dip into Tinseltown and we loved it Sean Bean was a lovely man the actors were great and we got cracking and we got If you ever want to have fun actually just put Sean Bean and the words Bastard into YouTube Really?

33:50He says Bastard more than any actor ever lived there's actually a thing called watch Sean Bean saying Bastard and he's all he's dressed up in all these different costumes all this different he's old he's young he's middle-aged he's like busted right usually getting killed just before he gets killed busted he just says busted all the time I met him a couple of years ago yeah iftas he was over yeah nice as he was over yeah so yeah positive experiences I forgot there to link something in with you and you wouldn't even know this but I went to a the National Concert Hall recently to watch my cousin and my cousin is is a founding member of the band Teide oh and Teide and you said Baueron he's the Baueron player Tristan Rosenstock yeah oh my god they're a lovely band yeah they were brilliant they're just back they were off the scene for a while they were but they were not it's not so much they were back it was a 25th reunion they had gone all over the world Japan and America and everything played around the world and then they kind of got back to their lives they had a beautiful sound yeah oh my well that's funny Teide so Tristan is my Gabriel's my deceased uncle's son.

35:04Oh, brilliant. Yeah, first cousin, yeah. So he could have taught you to play. Yeah, he could have. He'd have had his work cut out. Yeah, the field was another thing. So I suppose there's a resurgence now all these years, would you think, in Irish music. It's brilliant. Yeah, what do you know? What can you tell me about that? What are your thoughts? I love it. And I love listening to fellas my age or a little bit older giving out yards about the young bands. who were doing this and that music. And it always reminds me of our day because we took the music by the scruff of the neck when we were young fellas.

35:41And we did all sorts of great... And you probably had traditionalists hating you. They were coming at us from every angle. And because we had brought in drums, bass, keyboards... But there'd be stuff written about you and everything going on. Loads of stuff. These are hoors, heart chartons. I was told one time on a stage at the Flannan Innist that I wouldn't be welcome with my guitar. like Rob Dylan going electric exactly so we would upset a lot of people because of what we were doing and not just here but in Germany the Germans wouldn't take us at all even the Germans they wanted pure trout not interested it's like the drums and bass and the keyboards and then the songs were all pop songs I wasn't I never sang a battle in my life so my songs were all pop songs and that's what the band were doing so when I hear the guys and they're all kind of saying to you isn't it terrible what's happening to the music and I'm saying no actually I think it's deadly and I love what's going on with the music I love bands there's a young band called Modra Salak in Dublin yes oh my god Dirty Dog oh my god I just adore them and they'll take Spansel Hill and they'll make this beautiful job of Spansel Hill and then the next song is a song they wrote themselves which is really equally as nice and I love the Mary Wallopers like they're they're just a rock of the place and I mean I don't understand Lancome is another one oh hell I love that album Fake I think that's one that album of any Irish album reminded me of of our album way back in 1982 when we stretched the boundaries and I know every inch of it I love what they do but even I don't understand the music of kneecap because I'm not into rap music but I love the film.

37:34I saw it as well. I loved it and I love what they're doing with the Irish language. They have us all come back trying to learn a couple of focal lengths. They do and it's also in a way it's a bit of a it's a bit of a political statement about language. Yeah. About reclaiming languages. Without a doubt. Yeah. They really have woken us up and I really treasure all of them for that what they do and they're not afraid to voice their opinions and I respect any band that does that and someday I'll lock myself into a room and just keep playing the music it reminds me of Susie remember a band called Susie and the Banshees oh god yeah I was I'd pride myself I'd been into all sorts of music and I bought every sort of an album there was a place in Wales we used to send away a mail order store and we'd chance anything even when we were kids so then I saw Susie and the Banshees on television and I said I better give them a go and I bought a double album I think it was and I couldn't get into it and I gave them every shot I played it all the time couldn't do it I couldn't I couldn't Cocteau Twins I used to be in from around that time they were around that time I loved the Cocteau Twins well I could never get to Susie now yeah so Lancome Amble is another one Amble beautiful yeah but so it's all on the comeback yeah and there's the Vagamonts have another new album out and then we've got great young artists like Emma Langford and Limerick yeah songwriter I know they're just it's really healthy yeah good and it's tough for them I'd say I mean it's tough for them but there is a vibrant lives industry out there yeah which is great yeah I think it's great I know people want to be at live events yeah and it's great that people are back I'm going to tour next month with Eleanor Shanley we have a new EP coming out and that's going to be really cool.

39:28And you're going to go around and tour that? Yeah, we're going to tour it. And I'd left the business for 10 years to be a chef. I know. So when I came back, it was like, what's going on here? Yeah. Because everything had changed in 10 years. It was fine, federal. It was great. But I had to teach myself digital. Okay. You know, how to view the world from a digital satellite. And I did. And I'm glad. It's been really exciting for me. When you say digital, do you mean musically digital? Oh, really? Yeah. And I had to, I taught myself how to record with the digital systems. I mean, I left the music business in 2006.

40:10So I was in the kitchen. I didn't do any gigs. And the last thing I wanted to do after a 12-hour stint in the kitchen is start, I think I'll record a new song now. So that was never going to happen. so it was that complete divorce from the whole thing and so getting back was really exciting but it was frightening too because the record industry was different as in non-existent yeah I mean remember when you'd be getting singles years ago we'd release a single you'd have they used to say you had eight weeks to break a single and you'd go out to all the radio stations and pile the records into the boxes and keep bringing them and plug words and all now you've got eight seconds like to do it I know on TikTok Yeah, that's it.

40:52Yeah. So it's changed. But you've also got the live scene, which is what we all need. And the younger bands have really tapped into the TikToks and the socials. Yeah. And quite a few of them are teaching me now how to kind of manage it. Exactly. Which is great. Exactly, yeah. I have an 18-year-old and he still gives out about the way I post on Instagram. You're not doing it right. Again, you're making a disgrace of yourself. Yeah. It's a post, not a story. I've got that. Or you know when you put the wrong size photo of a... That's when I get abused. Wrong size photo. That's not an Insta photo, Mike.

41:32That's a Facebook photo. Exactly. And you're shooting a portrait, not Insta. We'll get there. We'll get there. And of course, the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, I wanted to leave this to later because it's the thing. It's the... People out there, I'll have to remind them, But one of the soundtracks to our lives is...

41:56Good afternoon to you. Good afternoon to you. Mike Hanrahan's on the line. Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike, Mike. You're angry. You're angry. You're angry. And you are. That's the sound of Live Line, Over the Moors, written by Stockton's Wing. And did you write Over the Moors? It's a traditional tune called Over the Moors. And we just... Oh, you adapted it. We worked. You worked it. We worked it. we got kitchen sink in there. Whenever you hear that tune you think okay tense up somebody's going to start giving out now and you know you fell down the stairs where I was outside the national the hospital you fell down the hospital Jane James's yeah the steps were dirty were they?

42:35Or you were the other one I always loved you were at Julio Inglacius last night that's right Joe how bad was he? Joe he can hardly move he's a corpse Joe paid 110 euro for the ticket they're wheeling him out there Joe he doesn't even know where he is go on go on so so Stockton's Wing did this song and recently of course RTE has rebranded their jingles now I know that you got you're happy because you got years and years and years out of Over the Moors and it paid for dinners and it paid for some pints and life moves on but I understand that that you do have some feelings about the rebranding of their music.

43:17That's where I had to tell me about that. shut the door down on being very nice about it. Go on then. Like, I said it, when they rang me to say that they were going to change in the tunes, I said, great, I really hope you give some young Irish writers an opportunity like we got because it was great for us. We were on the radio every day and even if people didn't know it was us, but when we played a tune, they'd recognise it. But we also got royalties. And there were seven of us involved. And seven of us got, over the years, 27 or whatever it was, we got a good few Bob royalties. And that royalties are not going to an Irish writer now.

44:00They went to London. And they say they put it out to tender. And, like, I've tried. I don't know if you've ever tried to get a grant from the Arts Council. No. Like, you have to fill up these forms. I've tried. Forever. I can't it's impossible and then you're going to a musician or a writer in Ireland saying well if you put in a tender for we'll give you like we don't know what tenders are we're legal tenders we love our cash if we get it from the gig but we don't we don't and that's not saying we're ignorant to things but just that's not our language and it's not our world so they say they put it out to tender I don't know of anybody who even knew it was happening like that and they gave it to some English company so the money has gone to some English company who are not on the ground here they don't understand the nuances of each show like each show, producer of each show who chose their sig tune knew what the show was about and they tried to match the music every one of them tried to match the music to their show and that's gone and I think that's a really sad day and yeah I'm pissed off over that, that's the aspect of it I agree, I mean it's our radio station we pay for it and it should reflect Irish sensibilities and I would have thought that job should have been given to Irish writers and Irish creatives by God if anybody could do it they could and we have an organisation called IMRO the Irish Music Rights Organisation who control the rights of all the Irish writers plus the world writers I understand that but it would have been a perfect opportunity for RT to go to Imra says, why don't we just see if one of your writers is up for this, you know.

45:48Apparently they went to some of the music colleges, but I think it was really shabby and it's an opportunity lost and there's so much money gone to somebody who knows zero about our culture. The music is shite, if you pardon my... It doesn't seem to make any sense. It's very vanilla and it seems to be trying not to do anything. Yeah It is yeah It's like It's going We won't go here We won't go there We'll hardly even go down the middle Try not even notice us Yeah There's no connection And there's no connection with With Ireland Zero Zero It's Do you know that great show On a Sunday morning Sunday Miscellany I mean 68 1968 That tune started Wow On Sunday Miscellany That tune was going 60 years Oh Like you always knew On a Sunday when you heard that tune you were going to hear some quirky stories and somebody might recite a poem but you're in for an hour of entertainment you won't get anywhere else on radio and that tune signified that I mean I grew up listening to RT Radio 1 and also BBC Radio 4 with my grandmother in Waterford and you would do da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da woo woo seagulls because it's Desert Island Discs

47:16and then gay and the final four notes hello there welcome back oh Mike Hanrahan in the studio good boy and so wise Buddha there they are and they were great tunes they were great tunes Tico's tune that was called yeah and the tunes represent something and definitely for Liveline I mean it was it became iconic extra show. Totally. Really. It became you know what's the word? Inescapable. Not inescapable but bound to it. Yeah. Bound to it. Yeah. Yeah. That's pity. Yeah. Now another man you had after Stockton's Wing you collaborated with Ronnie Drew for 10 years. Yeah. So Ronnie I remember I did a corporate gig once at Tato.

48:09Right. And it was back in the Celtic Tiger days. And they had Bjorn again, right? The Abbott tribute band, who aren't cheap. Then they had me, right? I was doing half an hour of comedy and I wasn't cheap. And then they had as the main event, Ronnie. Three, like three, just for a Christmas party. Where was this on? Would have been out in Lucan or something, Tato Park, out in Tato Park or something, right? A big Christmas party. and they booked three acts, a kind of a karaoke thing, me, a comedy act, and Ronnie. By the time Ronnie got on, I'd finished, and they were grand, they were getting a bit drunk.

48:54By the time Ronnie got on anyway, they were hammered and he was there, he goes, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, how are you, and they won't shut up and he's there, shut the fuck up or I'm walking off the stage. And he cemented it and they did. He did. He wasn't taking any bollocks Oh, how's your bousy? And he was great. Bit of a genius? Oh, complete and utter. Sorry, I'm going to let you talk. Ronnie Drew was famous. Ronnie Drew was the Dubliners. Ronnie Drew liked to pint. Ronnie Drew looked iconic. He had this big beard and white hair.

49:31But what kind of a musician was he? Well, a really interesting question. When he went to Spain in the late 50s, he learned how to play a Spanish guitar, Takerro, and that was his grounding. So that's why he always played a Spanish guitar. He always used fingers, finger picking. And then dressing him for so many years, you'd hear him messing around with the flamenco style, but never brought it on stage because he never believed he was that good to bring it on stage. But he had a real flair for flamenco guitar. So he was a great musician. His timing was always dodgy. and he'd be the first to say that himself.

50:14But his voice and how he took a song on and told a story to you, he was second to none. There's a Johnny Cash vibe about him. In other words, when he could take a song and when he sings it, you go, well, that's Ronnie now. He's done a Ronnie on it. And he brings you right into the song. And he took his songs really seriously and he spent like weeks and weeks and trying to learn the songs and get to know them and get into the heart of it. What was he like as a human being? Well, I always say about Ronnie, Ronnie was my father, he was my brother and he was my son and vice versa because we spent 10 glorious years, we knew each other for 30 years but we spent 10 glorious years together on the road in and out of hotels and restaurants.

51:08so we had the same interest in food and a nice hotel and same interest in politics and he was just one of the most incredible people I ever met in my life I learned so much from him we had lots of laughs and for 8 of the 10 years I was on the road Ronnie didn't drink at all I was going to ask you that he was off the jar off the jar so he was at he was at the only thing that mattered to him was the gig so he wrote 3 or 3 two or three stage shows that we toured and we toured all over and he was just completely and utterly dedicated to the gig and every morning the breakfast was a meeting like over breakfast and he was asking about what we did here and there and he was very inclusive I remember the first gig I did with him and he says to me how much do you want for that I says Ronnie I don't give a shit whatever's there give it to me you know whatever he says I have to pay you I said look whatever if there's a crowd there just whatever I don't care I'm happy to be here and from that moment on he gave me a cut of the business and that's how it was and I looked after the tours I looked after him on the road I arranged all I produced a few albums for him God we had just a most beautiful time together he was he was a gorgeous man and he had a beautiful heart and he was the grumpiest man you could meet in your life.

52:39I used to love him when he was grumpy. He was great. Because he suffered people kind of badly sometimes. But you'd be getting people to annoy him, you know. And he'd be all, he liked what you're saying, he's going ground for a while and then suddenly someone just, they'd just leap over the edge. Across that Ronnie Rubicon. Yeah, and you get that growl. He was superb. Didn't he have the most extraordinary pair of eyes? Incredible. Beautiful. Yeah. Striking. Yeah, like really, really unusually pale blue and bright blue. They just cut right through you. Icy, glassy blue. Yeah, yeah. And so much going on in there.

53:16Oh, yeah, his eyes. Yeah, I always loved the eyes. Was he a bright fella? Very bright, very intelligent, very into his music and his history. Always had a book in his hand. Oh, did he? Yeah. He loved Miles Nagoplin. Oh, right, Flann O 'Brien. Always. And he'd have Patti Cavanagh. He'd be reading. He loved all the Irish writers and the Irish theatre. and of course he knew them all a lot of those Paddy Cavanaghs he would have known rambling around Dublin back in the days and he had great stories about them all as well yeah good memory super memory so he could record all the stories and I always love and I'll shorten it for you because it's long but he hated the arrival of like self-service Ronnie loved going into a place and having a China cup with the sandwiches and the whole rigmarole and the pomp and ceremony you're getting a cup of tea and a sandwich and then you know the mornings the hotel started bringing these troughs in around where you go and pick from the trough yourself whatever you want and most of the stuff has been cooked at three or four in the morning so it's really awful so Ronnie Ronnie was one day we were dealing he was going around gathering himself and he'd come back and forget something he'd go back oh jeez I forgot the cream oh jeez I forgot the butter and he sat down and by the time he got to eat the food was cold and the only person you'd meet in these places is the guy at the front door and their job is really what room are you?

54:39That's all they want to know. There's no more help you're going to get from them. So Ronnie went up to the guy who had the room are you and she said, excuse me, son. He took out 20 notes. He says, is there any chance at all that you could break the 20 euro? He says, I just want to give myself a fucking tip. For doing all the work. And that was his kind of sense of humour. Yeah, yeah. He was funny. Oh, that's great. He used to say the only thing the Celtic Tiger did for him was get in his way with all the buildings and all that. Yeah, sure. Yeah, he was great, man. I remember just hearkening back to the Michael Jackson story there.

55:15You thought, I was trying to see if Michael, because all the band were loving your music, it would have been great if Jackson had embraced the Irish thing as well. And he went, On night two, we're going to do My Lag and Love and we're going to do She Moved Through the Fair and then we're going to do Spansil Hill. Ow! Michael Jackson doing those Have you heard the version of Billie Jean that was done by AI to the in tradition of Irish ballad Yes I have, it's absolutely amazing, I saw it on TikTok, and it's the first time I mean I've listened to Billie Jean for since whenever it was released it was honestly the first time I ever knew what the song was about, right you mind singing the words and you can like a good balladeer he's getting the message out oh right yeah yeah yeah and then we knew what the song was about yeah great little song yeah great song so are you going to you're going to go on tour and you're going to go on tour with Eleanor Shanley and you're going to release a single we're going to release an EP we've Eleanor joined myself and Ronnie for about 2000 and we recorded two albums with her and they had a really great duet an iconic song called A Couple More Years by the guy who did Sylvia's Mother.

56:33He just died the other day. Oh no, did he? Yeah, Dr. Hook. Yeah, Steve Silverman. No, it was Rockeriere. He did Sylvia's Mother. Sylvia's Mother said Isn't that it? Shel Silverstein was the guy that wrote it. Oh sorry, you're not talking about the singer. No, I don't know if it was the singer. I thought it was. But he wrote all the songs for Dr. Hook and he was in the band. Yeah. He wrote this song. Sharing the night together. So the singer was Dennis Le Corriere. Oh yeah. And he died three days ago. He co-wrote the song with Shel. Yes. That's. Oh I didn't know he was singing. When you're in love with a beautiful woman.

57:21So we recorded that song and they had to graduate. My 7th and I decided to go back and record it for this EP. But we'd never recorded anything. in the 26 years together we're singing myself and Eleanor we were always like with this duet I should we'll do it next week and then nothing happens and then we wouldn't see each other for a year and oh jeez I must record because I love gigging our gigs are kind of cool and there's no hassle with the gigs we're at an age now where we don't really give a hoot and turn up and do the gig and enjoy it so the EP's coming out and Eleanor we were looking for a title for the EP 10 years ago Eleanor went back to art painting and she went to serious lessons and hooked up with a great artist in Galway who kind of mentored her all the way and she has her first exhibition in August and her work is stunning really so we've taken one of her pieces and that's called The Ghost of You which is the sleeve of our and you put it on the single yeah you should try and project it onto your gigs as well yeah I think it'd be great on the gigs it'd be great be a nice piece of artwork on the gigs on a projector screen or whatever and then what we might do is do an art exhibition tour or something yeah yeah because you get fed on those things and they're always just a couple of hours long and yeah you arrive early yeah yeah get the exhibition do a few numbers and it's two birds with one stone yeah yeah wouldn't it be great art and music and you get fed three birds I was saying that to Helen the other day yeah trying to organise it that's brilliant I've loved listening to your stories Mike is there anything else you want to say because I've pretty much no I could spend hours talking to you about what I do with creative brainwaves and health.

59:04Tell me just one. Well, I was I was introduced to dementia through my mum 12, 14 years ago and I knew nothing about it and when she died I decided to try and learn something about it. So I went, I ended up going to Trinity and did a year fellowship and a postgrad in Trinity. At? Equity and Brain Health was the title and I was working with neuroscientists and neurologists and film directors and all sorts of amazing wonderful people around the world there was 14 of us in Dublin and 18 of us in San Francisco we were kind of cross sites and we experimented and looked on ways we can develop the art in brain health and brain health care so now just let me be clear there so this is looking to see how the arts can help brain health so we know for example even I know that music is huge I would have thought laughter is as well massive such an important part of it and not for it's the vibe that people get but the fact that people are moving their muscles and all those signals get up into their brain and give people such a buzz, dopamine hits I've learned so much about it like mime Parkinson's disease for instance dance steadies the Parkinson's tremor you know and I learned I learned all those and I work now around with a couple of organisations and we try and bring the arts because you know I always say you know particularly when I think about my mother but when you went to a nursing home not so much now maybe but you'll have something singing Danny Boy or Frank Sinatra for an hour to 30 people and there's going to be somebody in there who wants to hear ACDC and they never get a chance and that's where I'm going I think it's we need to spread the word to be more person centric and this is for everybody at the Alzheimer's there hell's bells here we go give it a rattle or would you like highway to hell it's amazing there are people there my mother-in-law is in a care home and she hates music and she'd be in there and she'd listen to the music and I'd say, how is the music going?

1:01:25She'd say, oh, it's terrible, she'd say, it's terrible. So it's all about that and I've developed a great interest in virtual reality. I went to Oxford last year and did some really great workshops on how virtual reality has been used in many cares. In the dementia. Oh yeah, in every, all sorts of healthcare and they use virtual reality to teach nurses, put them into situations but I've seen people with dementia put them on and they're on a boat or they're in their old town and they're just buzzed and that's what you would give these people is not Frank Sinatra for an hour but give them these meaningful moments that give them a buzz I have my own little story about that but years ago I got involved with our ladies hospice in Harald's Cross and they asked me to come in and do a couple of, like they do the coffee mornings on different years.

1:02:26But I came in as well and did sort of going around to all the old people in the hospice. Anyway, long story short, I don't know, I was very close with my grandmother and my grandfather. Anyway, I kind of took the piss out of all of them. And there was a few eyes from the carers going, what's going on here? And I could clearly see all the older people waking up. Yeah. They wanted to have the piss taken out of you because they are sick of being patronized and plum-ost. Isn't that interesting? They want, and it's the same in every walk of life, to have the piss taken out of you is the ultimate equalizer.

1:03:13It's a statement that says, you are one of us. that's why I'm taking the piss when I don't take the piss out of you you are othered it means that you are I can't take the piss out of you you're too weak what an amazing way to put it it's so true and that's how we should be viewing all these things and we're all so afraid to be stepping in the wrong direction Jesus give them ACDC that's right it's the same thing you're talking about is giving people their own agency that's right you know and and admit they're in the room yeah oh yeah absolutely don't be saying don't be hinting that you think they're not in the room admit they're in the room yeah people talk oh god I work I'm writing books short stories on that whole area and one of them is based on on consultation when the the wife and the doctor are talking about this person who's in the room but in in my vision it's two people and then there's this snake like do you remember that movie and he's gone round and he suddenly says hello I'm here too yes that's what I meant yeah there's a lot about that that's what I meant brilliant and it's clearly Mike I could see mile off that all this Doolin and the late 60s the late 60s and the 70s Doolin and the 70s and Stockton's wing and your interest in all these things and how you've kept your this is what's keeping you young and it's going to keep you young I hope so without a doubt yet yeah it's going to keep you young because that's what youth is.

1:04:46Youth is constant re-examining. It is, yeah. Does she be noticed the thing is in fact they should take the word retirement out of the dictionary. Yeah, but also when you responded to the idea that you loved Lancome and you loved Amble and you loved all this because you weren't making the mistake of your forefathers who go, young embrace the new. You have to, but how else would you learn? Exactly. Well, congratulations, Mike. Lovely to talk to you. I had such a really loved listening to you there and thank you. My pleasure. Thank you very much.

1:05:22And my thanks from Mike to Mike Hanrahan for calling in and having such an interesting chat with me. My thanks also to Hum, our partner. Hum is a finance company who provide flexible payment solutions for customers of some of Ireland's most popular retailers. They've been in Ireland for 30 years. They're a great partner for me and they could be for you too. And my thanks, of course, to you, the listener, for listening to this podcast. It's free, not a premium, not a subscription. So tell one other person if you can about this podcast. See you same time, same place next week. The Mario Roselstock Podcast.

1:05:54Thanks to HUM. Finance made easy when you shop tech, electrical, appliances, kitchens, and much more. Flexify Europe Limited. Trading as HUM is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

From the publisher

 Mike Hanrahan has spent over forty years writing, performing and championing Irish music. He spent fifteen years with Stockton's Wing, writing hits such as Beautiful affair and Over the Moors,  which was the theme tune for Joe Duffys radio show for over 40 years until recently (and Mike has a very strong opinion on the decision to drop it)

He went on to spend ten years writing and performing with the legendary  Ronnie Drew with whom he became a close friend; He has also supported Michael Jackson in Páirc Uí Chaoimh,  appeared in Jim Sheridan’s The Field, alongside Richard Harris, Sean Bean and John Hurt; performed for Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior; he even spent years as a professional chef in kitchens across Ireland. And we have a great chat about all of these stories and more in this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast

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