The Craft of Songwriting: with Mike Hanrahan

Mike shares his experience and knowledge of song-writing from five decades of writing, recording and performance. Mike has had a very close relationship with Sligo through Stockton’s Wing and looks forward to returning to share his experience with Sligo people in this workshop.

Mike Began his professional music career in 1978 with Maura O Connell in a duo called Tumbleweed. From there he joined Stocktons Wing as guitarist and song writer penning their hit songs Beautiful Affair and Walk Away. In 1994 He toured with Finbar Furey and from 1996 to 2008 he performed, composed and produced with Ronnie Drew including two albums with Ronnie and Eleanor Shanley. He was chairman of The Irish Music Rights Organisation from 2000 to 2006. He left the music business in 2006 to pursue a career in culinary arts, studying and teaching at Ballymaloe Cookery school and created an award-winning kitchen with actor/ comedian Pat Shortt at his bar in Castlemartyr Co. Cork.

2019 he wrote a top ten selling memoir Beautiful Affair, A journey in music food and friendship published by Harper Collins. It was shortlisted for An Post awards. He wrote and recorded a critically acclaimed song A River Rolls on with Dementia friendly choir The Forgetmenots.

His short film, The Ballad of the Crimson Warrior, inspired by the Irish Cultural Revolution premiered at Tradfest 2022.

Creative Arts in Brain Health

In 2023 he completed a Fellowship and a Post Graduate course on Equity in Brain Health with The Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College in Dublin. He broke new ground as the first student accepted in to study at Trinity College under RPL Recognised Prior Learning. He is now an Atlantic Fellow at The Atlantic Institute in Oxford. He uses songwriting to help those living with dementia to write their own story. He is currently studying and creating in the Extended Reality space. He continues to perform with Stocktons Wing, Eleanor Shanley and occasionally as a solo artist.