About Me
Hit the ground on the 3rd July 1949 and started to charge around my small world from the moment that my legs could carry me. I spent the next thirteen years crashing into things, dodging blows, lying through my teeth, worrying about hell, envying the seagulls in the sky, doubting grown-ups, playing hurling, soccer, soldiers, cowboys and Indians, marbles, hoops, cat, combo, and taking part in assorted Catholic rites. My face grew red with exertion. I drank water like a calf from a bucket, ate bread and sugar like a pig at a trough, slept like a hibernating animal at night, and dreamed of owning a pigeon loft, a six-gun, and having a magic patch on my pants that enabled me time-travel, (An idea I took from one of my Beano Comic hero’s) In the distance I could hear ‘What Did Della Wear Boys’, ‘The Laughing Policeman’, ‘Rose Marie’, ‘Boys From The County Armagh’ Father Sidney McKeon, and John McCormack.
I was close to bursting, when one day I came down with a flu, which kept me home from school, prowling the house like a caged animal. Behind the sitting-room (reception area for half yearly visit of Catholic priest, and homecoming Yanks, and house telephone) sofa, I found the neglected guitar that had been bought for my brother the previous Christmas. He was quite happy to work the right hand, but not the left, so it was parked behind the sofa, in the ‘Disappointing Christmas Present Section, and lay silent.
All our dogs were called ‘Dusty’, and the Dusty of the day liked to sharpen his nails on the soundboard, whenever he managed to steal into the hallowed room, so it was in a sorry state when I rescued it. I had no intention of rescuing it…. in fact I was determined to it some damage, as one did when they found lost objects.I didn’t, instead I taught myself ‘The Boys From The County Armagh’ and a calm descended. Before I knew it , I became unavailable for soccer matches, and cowboy games. My overworked heart was happy to accept these new periods of respite as I stilled myself enough to make music. It didn’t sound like music to anyone but myself for a long time, but eventually it sounded like something that made the doubters sit up and admire my dedication.
There was lots of stuff to learn ‘Apache’ by the Shadows, ‘Like You’ve Never Been Gone’ by Billy Fury, ‘One Night With You’ by Elvis Presley…. then Liverpool got into gear. The Beatles, The Hollies, Billy J Kramer, The Searchers…it gave me all I could do to keep up, but at one stage I knew the names of every group member and the kind of guitar the played. By now my father was forking out a ten-bob note to Peter Dempsey Music Store, Mallow Street, Limerick in payment for my twelve-string Hagstrom, which cost 63 guineas. The twelve-string was bought, unseen from a Walton’s Music Store catalogue, and the choice was made on the back of a song called ‘Walk Right In’ by the rooftop singers. I brought it to Patrick's Road in a cardboard box. It served me well as a six-string for many years, and I still have it.
The rest of my musical journey is documented on www.mickhanly.com . I count myself really lucky to have found a passion early in my life, it didn’t solve everything, but it put order on what could have been chaotic, and gave me laughter and tears. I hope that my songs reflect some of that.
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