This is one of the best threads yet, and I guess it's time for the ole Big Mick to weigh in.

Born and bred in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA area, I spent a great deal of my life in and around the Irish emmigrant community around the towns of Parnell and Grattan which are both named for famous Irish men.

About Michigan, it has a history which is filled with the Irish. From Beaver Island whose town is called St. James and was settled by fishermen from the Aran Islands, to Corktown which is the oldest community in Detroit and everywhere in between you will find the mark of my people. Some of the Counties in Michigan have names like Roscommon, Antrim, Wexford and Clare, all names taken from Irish Counties. Our weather is four seasons, each of them lovely. Right now we are at the peak of fall color and the views on the hills and over the valleys are an absolute testament to the existence of God. Soon the skiing will start (Cross country and downhill) along with ice fishing. The specific part of Michigan I live in is West Michigan. I reside in a large wilderness area about halfway between the cities of Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. If you look on a map of Michigan and find a large lake called Gun Lake, that is where I live with my wife and wee Ciara, who is my youngest daughter. She is 6 years old, and one hell of a fine Irish dancer. She also sings with her old man quite a lot. I also have a 22 year old daughter named Cass, and a 20 year old daughter named Elizabeth, two female cats named Jasmine and Esmeralda. I haven't won an argument in 20 years. :-))

My love for music is lifelong. I was raised around the music of my people. Being a teenager in the sixties, I was exposed to one of the most important times in the evolution of modern music. I had loved folk music in the fifties as a small child, so my tastes in the sixties moved to Baez, Dylan, Donovan, and folk rockers like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and so on. I also developed a love for the various blues styles and the great artists of those genres. While I was overseas in that one place with bullets whizzing around me, music allowed me to survive mentally during very stressful times. Cat Stevens comes to mind from that time, among others. Music has been a major influence in my career as a labor organizer. Of course, I love the old greats like Pete Seeger, Woody, Cisco, Odetta, and so on, but there is a wealth of great "movement music" being created by young people which has helped me to see the world through their eyes.

I perform mostly Irish and Scottish music, and do educational performances on famous Irish people. One of my favorites in on James Connolly who died in the Rising of 1916. He organized unions in the States before he went home to Ireland and the rest is history.

I play 6 and 12 string guitar, bodhran and various whistles including a Low D Shaw. I am attempting to build a set of uillean pipes this winter(are you listening lovely alison?), and am determined to learn to play them before I die. My band is called The Conklin Ceili Band and has 5 members including me. The other instruments are mandolin, Irish bouzouki, 48 button concertina, hammered dulcimer, banjo, bass guitar and fiddle.

I consider the Mudcat to be one of the most interesting and valuable part of a life that has been pretty damned interesting. You have all touched this life in a special way and I am grateful. Hope I haven't bored you.

All the best,

Mick