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Mike Hanrahan, Guitarist, author, songwriter, composer, producer.

Senior Fellow at The Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin

2024

Back performing with a reinvigorated Stockton’s Wing who signed with Tara/Universal Ireland and released a back-catalogue collection of 42 tracks in Jan 2020, some hidden or lost for years. The album, Stockton’s Wing Beautiful Affair A Retrospective, went to number one in sales and download charts.
A live album Hometown was released February 2022. Gigs in 2024
 
Currently writing, recording, and touring with Eleanor Shanley


A new music TV series with Pat Shortt is due in the spring 2024.A concert tour is expected mid 2024


Just completed a Fellowship in Equity and Brain Health at Trinity College Dublin.

Currently exploring Creative Arts in Dementia care.
 
New Songs
Songs from the Box room. A series of songs, poems and music written during lockdown including a 28-minute short film on the Irish Cultural Revolution. 1892 to 1922. Avauilable on Bandcamp and Mikehanrahanmusic on Youtube

Craggy Hill released Oct 2023

Shine  - released Sept23 for Mental Health awareness org SHINE

The Crimson Warrior with Sive released April 23 (Aldoc)

Inside I’m Dancing - released in July 22 First Annimation Video

Spindrift a collaboration with Gavin Glass - released in April 22

Chase the moon - released Oct 2021

All recorded with Gavin Glass and Rachel Grace on backing vocals.
 
A River roll on released in May 2021 with Dementia inclusive The Forgetmenots Choir.  featuring my friends Aldoc,  Lisa Lambe, Sandy Kelly and The Forgetmenots choir. I was inspired by a personal story of dementia.
 
The Ballad of The Crimson Warrior, a short music film inspired by the Irish Cultural Revolution premiered -  Templebar Tradfest , MKE Milwaukee Fest and Phoenix Arizona 2022. Filmed and recorded with Aldoc. With help from Seana Davey on Harp, Sive on vocals, guitar and Norah Constance Walsh on piano and strings.
 
2024 Ambassador Clare Age Friendly
2024 Writer in Residence Áras Chronáin Clondalkin Irish centre
2024 Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health , Trinity College Dublin.
 
Back in the days ….
1977 began professional career with Maura O Connell in a duo called TUMBLEWEED
1980 Stockton’s Wing guitarist, singer, and songwriter.
Wrote all songs on Stockton's Wing’s ground-breaking and critically acclaimed Album LIGHT IN THE WESTERN SKY (1984) including hit BEAUTIFUL AFFAIR and WALK AWAY.
The Wing Toured extensively around the world collaborating with many artists developing a soundscape taking our influences from various world music genres, traditions, and fellow artists to create the inimitable sound that was and still is Stockton’s Wing.
1989 Sammy Davis Junior invites the band to perform at his Lansdowne Road shows in Dublin
In 1990 Stockton's Wing went on location to take part in the Noel Pearson/Jim Sheridan film production of the John B. Keane play "THE FIELD" which featured Oscar nominee Richard Harris and John Hurt.
Played at both Michael Jackson gigs in Cork 1988.
Left Stockton’s Wing in 1994 to tour with Finbar Furey.
First solo album deal with German label Wundertutte Someone Like You.
1997 Favourite 10 years  with Ronnie Drew on his theatre shows ‘Ronnie I hardly knew Ya’ and @an Evening with Ronnie Drew and Mike Hanrahan’
Several theatre runs in Dublin, Off Broadway run, London and countless tours across Europe. Produced four albums for Ronnie including two with Ronnie and Eleanor Shanley which gave us the iconic duet ‘A Couple More Years.’
Musical director for the critically acclaimed theatre show Legends of Irish Music featuring Ronnie along with Liam Clancy, Finbar Furey, Johnny McAvoy, Jim McCann, and Paddy Reilly.
2002 second solo album What you Know
2000/2006 Chairman IMRO Irish Music Rights Organisation
2006 entered the food industry.
2017 returned to the music and wrote a memoir.
2022 Study break – Post Grad and Fellowship on Equity in Brain Health at Trinity College Dublin with Global Brain Health Institute. Now an Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health.
A life with Food
2006  career change to study and later teach at The Ballymaloe Cookery School. Created  two memorable kitchens at Pat Shortts Bar (yes that one) in Castlemartyr in East Cork and The Artisan Parlour in Ringsend Dublin. Cooked interesting food from local producers and received many awards, reviews, and accolades.
 
2019 Harper Collins published Beautiful Affair - A Journey in Music, Food and Friendship                            
Top 10 sellers list. Short listed to top four for A Post Best Irish Published Book 2019.
 
They said….
Chronicles the early days growing up in Clare, his entire music career, and the sudden change of step to train and work as a teacher at Ballymaloe Cookery School, spending ten years in kitchens before returning to his music and writing. Food and music have been parallel lines that have kept Mike Hanrahan on track his entire life.
 
• ‘If you love food and music, this book is compulsory for Christmas. My favourite cookbook’ – Paul Flynn, TV chef/ writer - Head Chef of the Tannery, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.
• ‘Beautiful Affair is part memoir, part recipe collection, and a total joy to read. full of funny stories and wry observations on the music and food worlds, along with some fascinating detail. With hand-drawn watercolour illustrations by Charlotte O’Reilly Smith, and recipes from friends, family, and professional kitchens, this is a book to savour and cherish.’ – Marie Claire Digby, Irish Times
• ‘A mixture of wonderful stories. We made the Irish stew… and nearly licked the plates!’ – Sean O’Rourke, RTE Radio 1
• ‘This book… it’s literally a beautiful affair. … I thoroughly loved this. It’s a very special piece of work.’ – Marty Whelan, RTE Lyric FM
• ‘Mike manages to do the impossible – create something which is an honest account of his life, as well as a heart-warming feast for the senses.’ – Hot Press
• ‘[A] brilliant and often joyful book.’ – Sunday Independent
• ‘The book is absolutely beautiful. It’s called Beautiful Affair, and it’s a very apt name for it … the illustrations, the recipes, lovely warm stories of a time in music and friendship, and a life’s journey… I loved every moment of it.’ – Tom Dunne, Newstalk
• ‘[A] moving and insightful book’ – Irish News
• ‘…through a sequence of picture postcards, Beautiful Affair coalesces to provide a pleasing montage of one man’s life-journey, the sociality of his musical world and the coming-of-age of Ireland as a musical nation within a globalised world… And, of course, there are the recipes too.’ –The Journal of Music
 
 
 
Links
 
https://www.instagram.com/mikehanrahanmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/dinkyhanrahan/
https://www.facebook.com/mikehanrahan46
https://twitter.com/mikehanrahan58
 
https://mikehanrahan.bandcamp.com/releases
 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_j8ficIJ3bH2wK-91-xxmg
 
https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/mike-hanrahan
 
https://www.kennys.ie/bargain-books/bargain-music/Beautiful-Affair-A-Journey-in-Music-Food-and-Friendship-Hanrahan-Mike
 
 
www.mikehanrahan.com

 

 

 

 

                   
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