Me? I'm just another ageing Paddy cursed with a good memory. When I was very young, I learned songs from my grandfather and, apparently, drove people demented by singing myself to sleep!In a family with six kids,that wasn't a great idea - even if I was the first born.

As a teenager, growing up in Dublin, I lost all interest in traditional song and became addicted to modern jazz and then Baroque music. Eventually I moved to Athlone in the Irish midlands, where I've been living ever since. Jazz being fairly scarce here at the time (and since!), I started hanging around the local folk club and suddenly got interested in singing again. Been singing and collecting songs ever since.

Athlone is a small town smack in the middle of Ireland with a large (by Irish standards!) lake just to the north. Since I love sailing, its nice I know live within five minutes of the yacht club, in a quiet, beautiful area. We don't sail for the winter - had our last race at the weekend, so its hibernation time again. Actually, much of my leisure time in winter is spent birdwatching by day and singing by night.

Perversely enough, I have lately been listening to jazz again - mainly because, being separated from my wife and with my children grown up, I got rid of the TV and play music instead. Partly as a result of this reawakening, I've ended up presenting a music programme on a local radio station (in Dublin) - in Gaelic.

I don't play an instrument - although my partner (a fiddler and singer) is dropping hints about taking up the concertina! Meanwhile there's still lots of songs out there to be learnt. There's a local Singer Circle (bit like Frank McGraths Nenagh group) and we're about to bring out a CD, on which I sing a track. Its all go, as we say.

Weather? Don't ask!

Regards