'''Bill Long''' (2 April 1932 - 21 May 2010) was an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] writer and broadcaster. He often featured on [[RTÉ Radio 1]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/radio1/christmas2009/christmasday.html|title=Christmas Day on RTÉ Radio 1|date=25 December 2009|work=[[RTÉ Radio 1]]|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]]|accessdate=25 December 2009|quote=SANTA CLAUSE OF LONLINESS: Bill Long spends Christmas in the company of Thomas Merton With Patrick Dawson as Thomas Merton and Joe Taylor as Erskine Caldwell - 1.45pm on RTÉ Radio 1}}</ref><ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He was also Ireland's longest surviving heart transplant patient.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'">{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/obituaries/2010/0612/1224272355300.html|title=Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'|date=12 June 2010|work=[[The Irish Times]]|publisher=Irish Times Trust|accessdate=12 June 2010}}</ref>

==Early life==
Long was born a Catholic in [[Waterford]] in 1932. He lived in a thatched house with his immediate and extended family, including his mother, father, brother and his mother's parents.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> His father was a grower of vegatables.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> Long was fond of reading as a child, devouring [[Henry David Thoreau]], [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] and [[Zane Grey]], and encountering trouble at school while reading when he was supposed to be paying close attention to his religious studies.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> His time at a boarding school was funded by a family friend but he quit after two years.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He attended a [[Congregation of Christian Brothers]] school in [[Tramore]] but quit that as well, at the age of 14.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/>

==Career==
After leaving school Long enlisted in the navy. He soon left that as well.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He began reporting for the ''[[Irish Examiner|Cork Examiner]]'', before transferring to a newspaper in Waterford and then onward to the ''[[Irish Press]]'', followed by the ''[[Irish Independent]]'' and then ''[[The Irish Times]]'' and even briefly with [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]].<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He also worked in [[Revlon]]'s public relations department. Long resided in [[London]] where [[Raymond Chandler]] was a next-door neighbour.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> The two shared in common a youth spent in Waterford so bonded well.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> Long also went on trips to the [[United States]] and [[South America]].<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He met figures such as [[Thomas Merton]] and [[Katherine Anne Porter]], the latter of whom encouraged him to write in earnest.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> So he left his job at Revlon.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> While writing he made radio documentaries to generate funds to feed his family.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> Among these are ''Singing Ark'' (which won a [[Jacobs Award]]) and the [[Dylan Thomas]] documentary ''Flowering Flood''.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> He featured on [[RTÉ Radio 1]]'s ''Sunday Miscellany''.<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/> Long was also a [[homiletics]] lecturuer at [[National University of Ireland, Maynooth]] (NUIM).<ref name="Author and broadcaster, well known for 'Change of Heart'"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{RTÉ Radio 1}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Bill}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:Irish radio personalities]]
[[Category:Irish writers]]
[[Category:People from County Waterford]]

Bill Long

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{{Infobox musical artist
| 
| Name = Mick Flannery
| Img = Mick Flannery.JPG
| Img_size = 
| Landscape = yes
| Background = solo_singer
| Born = {{Birth year and age|1983}}
| Origin = [[Blarney]], [[County Cork]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| Instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]]
| Genre =
| Occupation = [[Singer–songwriter]], [[Stonemasonry|stonemason]]
| Years_active =
| Label = [[EMI Records]]
| Associated_acts =
| URL = http://www.mickflannery.com
| Notable_instruments =
}}

'''Mick Flannery''' (born 1983) is an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[singer-songwriter]] and [[Stonemasonry|stonemason]] from [[Blarney]], [[County Cork]].

His debut album ''Evening Train'' was self-produced during the time he spent at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in [[Cork (city)|Cork]]. Pressed in the [[United States]] during his brief stint there, it was then re-released by [[EMI Records|EMI Ireland]]. Flannery's second studio album ''[[White Lies (Mick Flannery album)|White Lies]]'' was released on September 12, 2008 and immediately entered the [[Irish Albums Chart]] at number six. It was nominated for the [[Choice Music Prize]].

''[[The Irish Times]]'' placed him at number forty-six in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009.

==Early years==
Flannery was reared on farmland outside Blarney, County Cork.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Stone mason sings">{{cite web|url=http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/news/stone-mason-sings-1961374.html|title=Stone mason sings|date=December 2, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Drogheda Independent]]''}}</ref>

Coming from a family with a keen musical interest, Flannery was introduced to folk and blues music at a young age.

“My mother's side were big into music, more than my dad's side. My mother is a singer and she plays the guitar. She recorded an album of her own actually two years ago. And it was her brothers and sisters that kind of got me into music. [...] At those family nights there was a good bit of [[Tom Waits]], a bit of [[Bob Dylan|Dylan]]. Most of the singers would be female, my aunts, and they would sing [[Tracy Chapman]] and [[Joni Mitchell]]”.<ref>{{cite web|author=Linda McGee|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0930/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery Interview|date=September 30, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref>

Flannery cites an encounter with the music of [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] as a direct influence on his desire to become a musician.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/> Seeing Cobain perform "[[The Man Who Sold the World]]" on ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' he promptly purchased a copy of ''[[MTV Unplugged in New York]]''.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/><ref name="Other Voices"/> He soon bought the album ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' as well.<ref name="Other Voices"/> This spurred him to write his own songs at the age of fifteen.<ref>http://www.mickflannery.ie</ref> He claims to have written his first song at the age of fifteen.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> His first completed song was called "Mad Man's Road", a tale of a murder which took place on the road in which he lived.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery has been dismissive of his earlier material, referring to it as "tripe".<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/>

==History==
===''Evening Train''===
While undergoing a music and management course at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in Cork, Flannery commenced writing the album that would become ''Evening Train'', an eleven-track [[concept album]] about the exploits of two brothers.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> His original intention had been to write a musical but this endeavour proved unsuccessful.<ref name="Other Voices"/> ''Evening Train'' was received positively by critics in Ireland and the United States.<ref name="Other Voices"/> Reviewers noted its "astute and sophisticated lyrics", its "strong, imaginative melodies", its Tom Waits sound.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/> The ''[[RTÉ Guide]]'' later said, "His voice was like Tom Waits meets the howling of a grizzled freight train hobo".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man">{{cite web|url=http://www.rteguide.ie/2008/0919/1.html|title=Star of the Day: The Quiet Man|date=September 19, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[RTÉ Guide]]''}}</ref> [[entertainment.ie]] reviewer Lauren Murphy described it as "an album dripping with maturity, poise and potential" and that "the most astounding thing" was his age of 21 years.<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)"/>

Flannery and a friend who also worked in the stonemasonry business embarked on a three-month trip to the United States.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery spent his time performing in [[New York]], a place where he quickly became disillusioned by the music scene, referring to it in one interview as "a bit up its own arse".<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> While there he lived in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]].<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> His sister was there for one of the months and assisted him with organising his performances.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> ''Evening Train'' was pressed here{{where}} (though not officially released) in 2005, and re-released by EMI almost two years later. Flannery was 21 years of age when ''Evening Train'' was released.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> At the age of 23 he had been on tour in Ireland and in New York City.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/>

Flannery signed with [[EMI Records]] in 2007.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Other Voices"/>

Flannery was the subject of a programme called ''Mytunes'', broadcast on [[RTÉ Radio 1]] on November 29, 2007.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/radio1/mytunes/1170319.html|title=Programme 1: Mick Flannery|date=November 29, 2007|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[RTÉ Radio 1]]}}</ref> He performed on [[RTÉ Two]]'s ''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]'' television programme in 2008.<ref name="Other Voices">{{cite web|author=Harry Guerin|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/mickflannery.html|title=Other Voices|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]''}}</ref> This appearance led to increased interest in Flannery's music in Ireland.<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (RTÉ)"/> The show's presenter [[Annie Mac]], a [[disc jockey]] based in [[London]], later admitted she had never heard of Flannery before witnessing his performance.<ref>{{cite web|author=Eoin Butler|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/1128/1224259367880.html|title=Turn the tables|date=November 28, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Nonetheless, she admits she has had to swat up a bit for her role as a presenter of RTÉ’s ''Other Voices''. Before presenting the show for the first time last year, she’d never heard of some of the Irish acts she introduced, such as Imelda May and Mick Flannery, both of whom enormously impressed her.}}</ref>

However, he was keen to express his fondness for stonemasonry: "I wasn't going to sit in a room and write songs seven days a week and live on bread and beans. I liked doing stonemasonry as well".<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He still does it on an occasional basis: "We wouldn’t be carving gravestones or anything. We’d do the fronts of houses, entrance walls, stuff like that".<ref name="Talk time">{{cite web|author=Eoin Butler|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/0801/1224251464496.html|title=Talk time|date=August 1, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote='''You have two well-received albums under your belt, but you’re actually a stonemason by trade. Are you finished with all that now?''' No, I did two weeks helping a buddy finish a job before Christmas. He’ll call on me now and again if I’m not gigging and ask me if I want to come out and do a day. We wouldn’t be carving gravestones or anything. We’d do the fronts of houses, entrance walls, stuff like that. '''Using a lump hammer and chisel?''' Yeah. It’s hard work, especially in the winter. But, I’ll tell you, when I left it to do music . . . it was weird at first. In stonemasonry, you’d do a long day’s work and sleep soundly at night because you’re properly tired. When you’re doing gigs, you’re more mentally tired than anything else. You have a couple of drinks and try and get to sleep. But it’s not the same. So getting back to stonemasonry for a day or two when I can is always nice. [...] '''It’s a bit of a culture shock then, isn’t it, moving from that into the world of media or public relations?''' God yeah, there’s so much nonsense. Take MySpace and Facebook and all of that, for example. I don’t get on a computer often, but I have people working on those sites on my behalf. From time to time, they’d send out messages to people. So then these people approach me at gigs to thank me for wishing them a happy birthday and I have no idea what they’re talking about. I find that really sick, you know? [...] '''Your third album is mostly written. Do you have particular ambitions for it?''' I’m not hung up about record sales, but I’ve always wanted to record one of those albums that lodges itself in the public consciousness, that has its own stamp creatively, rather than commercially. Something like Tom Wait’s ''Closing Time'', Bruce Springsteen’s ''Nebraska'' or Bob Dylan’s ''Blood on the Tracks''. That’s what I aspire to.}}</ref>

===''White Lies''===
{{main|White Lies (Mick Flannery album)}}
Flannery's second studio album ''White Lies'' was released on September 12, 2008,<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|author=Aoife McDonnell|url=http://www.state.ie/2008/09/features/interview-mick-flannery/|title=Interview: Mick Flannery|date=September 8, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[State (magazine)|State]]''}}</ref> later going platinum in Ireland.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC">{{cite web|url=http://www.kerryman.ie/incoming/top-artists-to-pay-a-festive-visit-to-the-inec-1986171.html|title=Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC|date=December 23, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Kerryman]]''}}</ref> On the day of the album's release Flannery performed "Tomorrow's Papers" on ''[[The Late Late Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/20080912.html|title=Friday, 12 September 2008|date=September 12, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref><ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve">{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/micks-in-the-house-for-new-years-eve-1979509.html|title=Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref> The song contributed to the increasing popularity of the singer-songwriter.<ref name="Mick and John sing by the banks"/> entertainment.ie's Lauren Murphy said: "''White Lies'' may not be a perfect album, but it's certainly a promising step forward for a real talent".<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)">{{cite web|author=Lauren Murphy|url=http://entertainment.ie/album-review/Mick-Flannery---White-Lies/5893.htm|title=Mick Flannery - White Lies|date=September 23, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[entertainment.ie]]}}</ref> [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]] reviewer Harry Guerin commented: "If you're adamant that Ireland may sink with another singer-songwriter on tour, then this is a record to seek out; you won't notice the time passing and the nation will remain afloat".<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (RTÉ)">{{cite web|author=Harry Guerin|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0911/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery - White Lies|date=September 11, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref>

Flannery began a tour of Ireland after the release of ''White Lies''.<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time">{{cite web|author=Eamon Carr|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/hq/a-rolling-stone-1477619.html|title=A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time|date=September 18, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref> He performed a duet of "Christmas Past" with [[Lisa Hannigan]] in December 2008 after [[Today FM]]'s [[Tony Fenton]] paired them together for a radio show broadcast from a rooftop.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lisahannigan.ie/blogs/news/archive/2008/12/09/72.aspx|title=Lisa's Duet with Mick Flannery|date=December 9, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=Official website of [[Lisa Hannigan]]}}</ref> He joined Hannigan at a show in [[Vicar Street]] to perform the same duet that month.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ed Power|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/lisa-musters-the-chutzpah-to-go-solo-in-spotlight-1574928.html|title=Lisa musters the chutzpah to go solo in spotlight|date=December 15, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref> "Tomorrow's Paper" was translated into the [[Irish language]] for a CD titled ''Ceol '09'', an annual compilation released by [[Seachtain na Gaeilge]].<ref name="It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol">{{cite web|author=Jackie Hayden|url=http://www.hotpress.com/features/reports/5295003.html|title=It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol|date=March 6, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Hot Press]]''}}</ref> The Irish version was recorded in forty minutes at a studio in [[Dublin]]'s [[Merrion Square]].<ref name="It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol"/> Flannery performed a cover version of "[[The River (Bruce Springsteen song)|The River]]" on ''[[The Ray D'Arcy Show]]''{{'}}s Discover Ireland Feel Good Tour stopover in [[Carlingford, County Louth|Carlingford]] and [[Cooley Peninsula]] in March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.argus.ie/news/darcys-ray-of-sunshine-1687239.html|title=D'Arcy's Ray of sunshine: Radio show broadcasts from Carlingford|date=March 25, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Argus (Dundalk)|The Argus]]''}}</ref> A [[Special edition|deluxe edition]] of ''White Lies'', which featured a duet of the song "Christmas Past" with [[Kate Walsh (singer)|Kate Walsh]], was released in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Linda McGee|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/1216/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery's Christmas|date=December 16, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref><ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/>

He performed alongside [[John Spillane]] at [[Live at the Marquee (festival)|Live at the Marquee]] in Cork in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/news/spillane-tunes-up-for-kilworth-2003013.html|title=Spillane tunes up for Kilworth|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/marquee-keeps-the-summer-rocking-1802149.html|title=Marquee keeps the summer rocking|date=July 2, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref><ref name="Mick and John sing by the banks">{{cite web|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/mick-and-john-sing-by-the-banks-1777910.html|title=Mick and John sing by the banks|date=June 18, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref> Flannery said being asked to perform there was "daunting [...] In many ways I have drifted into this career and still have to pinch myself regularly to make sure I am not imagining it all".<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/top-irish-acts-in-the-mix-this-year-1654007.html|title=Top Irish acts in the mix this year|date=February 26, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref>

He performed at the Bloom Festival as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of [[The Rose of Tralee]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Simon Brouder|url=http://www.kerryman.ie/entertainment/a-blooming-good-day-out-to-raise-funds-for-festival-1685204.html|title=A 'Blooming' good day out to raise funds for Festival|date=March 25, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Kerryman]]''}}</ref> He made an apperance on the Crawdaddy Stage at [[Electric Picnic 2009]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/the-home-front-guaranteed-irish-at-the-picnic-1872817.html|title=The home front: guaranteed Irish at the Picnic|date=August 29, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/the-insider-23072009-1836586.html|title=The Insider: 23/07/2009|date=July 23, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=[[Jim Carroll (journalist)|Jim Carroll]]|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0828/1224253373951.html|title=Pick of the Picnic|date=August 28, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Also playing: Damien Dempsey, Amadou Mariam, Fionn Regan, Echo the Bunnymen, Okkervil River, Mick Flannery, Villagers, Halfset}}</ref> He performed a date at the [[Cork Opera House]] on December 31, 2009 as part of celebrations marking the end of the decade.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Clayton-Lea|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1231/1224261435071.html|title=Rocking out the decade|date=December 31, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=In Cork (Opera House), Mick Flannery does his accomplished singer- songwriter thing, while in Galway (Róisín Dubh) Fight Like Apes, Messiah J the Expert, Disconnect 4, Le Galaxie and Feed the Bears pave the way for a sore head on New Year’s Day.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Clayton-Lea|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1224/1224261137474.html|title=Going out: The Gig guide|date=December 24, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=New Year’s Eve best bets around the country include Mick Flannery (Cork), Jerry Fish (Dublin) and Fight Like Apes (Galway).}}</ref> He has sold out several other venues around Ireland.<ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/> He has also toured the UK.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maria Pepper|url=http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/how-barry-bagged-imelda-for-sellout-wexford-show-1853034.html|title=How Barry bagged Imelda for sellout Wexford show|date=August 5, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Wexford People]]''}}</ref>

===Third album===
Flannery has written most of his third album.<ref name="Talk time"/>

==Style==
Flannery composes original lyrics and music.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> Among the topics he has written about is the subject of heartbreak, for which he has drawn on past experiences.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> He read the literary works of [[Charles Bukowski]], [[Jonathan Miller]] and [[John Steinbeck]] from a young age.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> His biggest musical influences are [[Leonard Cohen]], [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Tom Waits]], once sending a letter to Waits but receiving no reply.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery attended shows by Cohen at the [[Royal Hospital Kilmainham]] and Waits in the [[Phoenix Park]] when they came to Ireland in 2008.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> He is also fond of current music and likes the lyrics of [[Alex Turner (musician)|Alex Turner]] from [[Arctic Monkeys]].<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> The ''[[RTÉ Guide]]'' once described his lyrics as "so personal they seemed carved from his very soul" and his humour was said to be "as dry as a [[Good Friday]] in [[Glenstal Abbey|Glenstall Abbey]]{{sic}}".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/>

==Personal life==
Flannery and his mother are both enamoured with music. His father and sister are both mathematicians: his sister [[Sarah Flannery|Sarah]] won the [[Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition|Esat Young Scientist Exhibition]] and [[European Union Contest for Young Scientists|EU Young Scientist of the Year]] in 1999 at the age of 16.{{fact}}<ref name="My Holidays">{{cite web|author=Genevieve Carbery|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/0418/1224244965886.html|title=My Holidays|date=April 18, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=I visited my sister [the former Young Scientist winner Sarah Flannery] in San Francisco. She’s lived over there for the last couple of years. [...] I like going down to Kerry. My mother’s family live down there in Coolroe, outside Killarney. It’s nice there, with beautiful mountains, lakes and natural landscape.}}</ref> She went on to release a book called ''In Code'', co-written by her father David Flannery. Sarah now works as a Chief Scientist at Tirnua, which she helped found.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Flannery</ref> Flannery's mother Elaine Flannery, also a talented musician, has recently released an album entitled ''Keepsake''.{{fact}} Her family live in [[Coolroe]] near [[Killarney]].<ref name="My Holidays"/> He has three other brothers: David, Brian and Eamonn.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Flannery</ref>

Flannery is shy.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He has experienced terrible [[stage fright]] before performances, including vomiting all over the dressing room.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|author=Ed Power|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/qampa-mick-flannery-1949521.html|title=Q&A: Mick Flannery|date=November 20, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref> He does not often use a computer, often asking others to update his [[Facebook]] and [[MySpace]] accounts and finding it "really sick" when people come to him at his shows to thank him for replying to their messages.<ref name="Talk time"/>

He has a cottage in Cork where he rehearses and retreats to on a regular basis.<ref>http://musicalrooms.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/musical-rooms-part-63-mick-flannery/</ref>

Flannery tends to socialise with his fellow stonemasons instead of with other singer-songwriters.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> They prefer to talk about [[sex]] instead of music.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> He also enjoys playing [[poker]].<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> He has admitted: "I'm a dour bollocks. I wouldn't be the life and soul of any party. I'd be sitting in the corner".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/>

==Band members==
===Current===
* Mick Flannery — [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]], [[piano]], [[guitar]]

* Karen O'Doherty — [[Violin]], vocals

* Yvonne Daly — Vocals

* Hugh Dillon — [[Electric guitar]]

* Brian Hassett — [[Bass guitar]]

* Christian Best — [[Drum kit|Drums]]

===Former===
* Aaron Dillon — [[Harmonica]] (notably "In the Gutter" from the album ''Evening Train'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/entertainment/daring-debut-album-launch-1389006.html|title=Daring debut album launch|date=May 21, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Drogheda Independent]]''}}</ref>

==Discography==
*''Mick Flannery E.P.''
*''Evening Train''
*''White Lies''

==Awards==
''[[The Irish Times]]'' placed him at number forty-six in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009,<ref name="The next 50 bands">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2009/0410/1224244309293.html|title=The next 50 bands|date=2009-04-10|accessdate=2009-08-16|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''}}</ref> commenting on his album ''White Lies'': "With this stunning exhibition of the gravel-voiced musician’s abilities, Flannery turned his hand to mournful piano ballads and catchy guitar tunes with a flair that far surpasses his 25 years".<ref name="The 50 best Irish music acts right now">{{cite web|author=Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea, Sinéad Gleeson, Lauren Murphy|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2009/0403/1224243925837.html|title=The 50 best Irish music acts right now|date=2009-04-03|accessdate=2009-08-16|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=2008 was a good year for Mick Flannery. The former stonemason had hung up his chisel in search of musical fulfilment several years back, yet his 2005 debut album (''Evening Train'') failed to make any huge impression, despite the Corkonian’s talent as a writer and performer. Last year’s Choice- nominated ''White Lies'' changed everything. With this stunning exhibition of the gravel-voiced musician’s abilities, Flannery turned his hand to mournful piano ballads and catchy guitar tunes with a flair that far surpasses his 25 years.}}</ref>

===International Songwriting Competition===
Flannery won in two categories in the [[International Songwriting Competition]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]: "In the Gutter" in the category of Folk Singer-Songwriter and "The Tender" in the category of Lyrics Only.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/> This came from a panel of judges which featured several renowned songwriters, including Flannery's idol, Tom Waits.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He was the first Irish musician to win in this competition.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> The two songs featured on the album ''Evening Train''.<ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/>

{{awards table}}
|-
| || "In the Gutter" || Folk Singer-Songwriter || {{won}}
|-
| || "The Tender" || Lyrics Only || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===''Hot Press'' Reader's Poll===
Flannery was ''[[Hot Press]]''{{'}}s Most Promising Act in its 2009 Reader's Poll.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/>

{{awards table}}
|-
| 2009 || Mick Flannery || Most Promising Act || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===Meteor Music Awards===
Flannery won Best Irish Male at the [[2009 Meteor Awards]].<ref name="My Holidays"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0320/1224243108287.html|title=Sticking to The Script|date=March 20, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Imelda May, Mick Flannery and Westlife also took home awards.}}</ref>

{{awards table}}
|-
| [[2009 Meteor Awards|2009]] || Mick Flannery || Best Irish Male || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===Choice Music Prize===
In 2009, Flannery was nominated for the [[Choice Music Prize]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah Stack|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/music/the-script-favourites-for-top-music-award-1602508.html|title=The Script favourites for top music award|date=January 15, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref> He lost to [[Jape (band)|Jape]], though he was mentioned in the acceptance speech, as frontman Richie Egan mentioned what his mother had told him before the award: “They all deserve the award -- sure my mother even told me that Mick Flannery was going to win, she said you're good, Ritchie{{sic}}, but he's gorgeous”.<ref>{{cite web|author=Caitrina Cody|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/jolly-jape-admits-hes-surprised-to-scoop-choice-gong-1661637.html|title=Jolly Jape admits he's surprised to scoop Choice gong|date=March 5, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref>

{{awards table}}
|-
| 2009 || ''[[White Lies (Mick Flannery album)|White Lies]]'' || Irish Album of the Year 2008 || {{nom}}
|-
{{end}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
| last = Huston
| first = Jenny
| authorlink = Jenny Huston
| others = Foreword by [[Glen Hansard]]
| title = In Bloom—Irish Bands Now
| date = 2009-11-27
| publisher = Currach Press
| isbn = 978-1-85607-985-3
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Mick Flannery}}
* [http://www.mickflannery.com Official website]
* {{myspace|name=Mick Flannery|id=mickflannery}}
* {{twitter|mickflannery}}
* [http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/mickflannery.html Mick Flannery] on ''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]''
* [http://www.songoftheyear.com/winners/122004.htm International Song of the Year Finalists]
* [http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/SemiFinalists2004.htm ISC Winners Page]
* [http://thishereboogie.com/take-it-on-the-chin-mick-flannery-2005/ Flannery's song 'Take It On The Chin' song of the day on thishereboogie.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannery, Mick}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:Irish rock singers]]
[[Category:Irish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from County Cork]]

Mick Flannery

2010-01-12T03:15:06Z

CLWE: /* Meteor Music Awards */ Fix

{{Infobox musical artist
| 
| Name = Mick Flannery
| Img = Mick Flannery.JPG
| Img_size = 
| Landscape = yes
| Background = solo_singer
| Born = {{Birth year and age|1983}}
| Origin = [[Blarney]], [[County Cork]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| Instrument = [[Singing|Vocals]]
| Genre =
| Occupation = [[Singer–songwriter]], [[Stonemasonry|stonemason]]
| Years_active =
| Label = [[EMI Records]]
| Associated_acts =
| URL = http://www.mickflannery.com
| Notable_instruments =
}}

'''Mick Flannery''' (born 1983) is an [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[singer-songwriter]] and [[Stonemasonry|stonemason]] from [[Blarney]], [[County Cork]].

His debut album ''Evening Train'' was self-produced during the time he spent at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in [[Cork (city)|Cork]]. Pressed in the [[United States]] during his brief stint there, it was then re-released by [[EMI Records|EMI Ireland]]. Flannery's second studio album ''[[White Lies (Mick Flannery album)|White Lies]]'' was released on September 12, 2008 and immediately entered the [[Irish Albums Chart]] at number six. It was nominated for the [[Choice Music Prize]].

''[[The Irish Times]]'' placed him at number forty-six in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009.

==Early years==
Flannery was reared on farmland outside Blarney, County Cork.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Stone mason sings">{{cite web|url=http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/news/stone-mason-sings-1961374.html|title=Stone mason sings|date=December 2, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Drogheda Independent]]''}}</ref>

Coming from a family with a keen musical interest, Flannery was introduced to folk and blues music at a young age.

“My mother's side were big into music, more than my dad's side. My mother is a singer and she plays the guitar. She recorded an album of her own actually two years ago. And it was her brothers and sisters that kind of got me into music. [...] At those family nights there was a good bit of [[Tom Waits]], a bit of [[Bob Dylan|Dylan]]. Most of the singers would be female, my aunts, and they would sing [[Tracy Chapman]] and [[Joni Mitchell]]”.<ref>{{cite web|author=Linda McGee|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0930/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery Interview|date=September 30, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref>

Flannery cites an encounter with the music of [[Kurt Cobain]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] as a direct influence on his desire to become a musician.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/> Seeing Cobain perform "[[The Man Who Sold the World]]" on ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' he promptly purchased a copy of ''[[MTV Unplugged in New York]]''.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/><ref name="Other Voices"/> He soon bought the album ''[[Blonde on Blonde]]'' as well.<ref name="Other Voices"/> This spurred him to write his own songs at the age of fifteen.<ref>http://www.mickflannery.ie</ref> He claims to have written his first song at the age of fifteen.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> His first completed song was called "Mad Man's Road", a tale of a murder which took place on the road in which he lived.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery has been dismissive of his earlier material, referring to it as "tripe".<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/>

==History==
===''Evening Train''===
While undergoing a music and management course at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa in Cork, Flannery commenced writing the album that would become ''Evening Train'', an eleven-track [[concept album]] about the exploits of two brothers.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> His original intention had been to write a musical but this endeavour proved unsuccessful.<ref name="Other Voices"/> ''Evening Train'' was received positively by critics in Ireland and the United States.<ref name="Other Voices"/> Reviewers noted its "astute and sophisticated lyrics", its "strong, imaginative melodies", its Tom Waits sound.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/> The ''[[RTÉ Guide]]'' later said, "His voice was like Tom Waits meets the howling of a grizzled freight train hobo".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man">{{cite web|url=http://www.rteguide.ie/2008/0919/1.html|title=Star of the Day: The Quiet Man|date=September 19, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[RTÉ Guide]]''}}</ref> [[entertainment.ie]] reviewer Lauren Murphy described it as "an album dripping with maturity, poise and potential" and that "the most astounding thing" was his age of 21 years.<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)"/>

Flannery and a friend who also worked in the stonemasonry business embarked on a three-month trip to the United States.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery spent his time performing in [[New York]], a place where he quickly became disillusioned by the music scene, referring to it in one interview as "a bit up its own arse".<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> While there he lived in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]].<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> His sister was there for one of the months and assisted him with organising his performances.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> ''Evening Train'' was pressed here{{where}} (though not officially released) in 2005, and re-released by EMI almost two years later. Flannery was 21 years of age when ''Evening Train'' was released.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> At the age of 23 he had been on tour in Ireland and in New York City.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/>

Flannery signed with [[EMI Records]] in 2007.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Other Voices"/>

Flannery was the subject of a programme called ''Mytunes'', broadcast on [[RTÉ Radio 1]] on November 29, 2007.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/radio1/mytunes/1170319.html|title=Programme 1: Mick Flannery|date=November 29, 2007|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[RTÉ Radio 1]]}}</ref> He performed on [[RTÉ Two]]'s ''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]'' television programme in 2008.<ref name="Other Voices">{{cite web|author=Harry Guerin|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/mickflannery.html|title=Other Voices|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]''}}</ref> This appearance led to increased interest in Flannery's music in Ireland.<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (RTÉ)"/> The show's presenter [[Annie Mac]], a [[disc jockey]] based in [[London]], later admitted she had never heard of Flannery before witnessing his performance.<ref>{{cite web|author=Eoin Butler|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/1128/1224259367880.html|title=Turn the tables|date=November 28, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Nonetheless, she admits she has had to swat up a bit for her role as a presenter of RTÉ’s ''Other Voices''. Before presenting the show for the first time last year, she’d never heard of some of the Irish acts she introduced, such as Imelda May and Mick Flannery, both of whom enormously impressed her.}}</ref>

However, he was keen to express his fondness for stonemasonry: "I wasn't going to sit in a room and write songs seven days a week and live on bread and beans. I liked doing stonemasonry as well".<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He still does it on an occasional basis: "We wouldn’t be carving gravestones or anything. We’d do the fronts of houses, entrance walls, stuff like that".<ref name="Talk time">{{cite web|author=Eoin Butler|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/0801/1224251464496.html|title=Talk time|date=August 1, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote='''You have two well-received albums under your belt, but you’re actually a stonemason by trade. Are you finished with all that now?''' No, I did two weeks helping a buddy finish a job before Christmas. He’ll call on me now and again if I’m not gigging and ask me if I want to come out and do a day. We wouldn’t be carving gravestones or anything. We’d do the fronts of houses, entrance walls, stuff like that. '''Using a lump hammer and chisel?''' Yeah. It’s hard work, especially in the winter. But, I’ll tell you, when I left it to do music . . . it was weird at first. In stonemasonry, you’d do a long day’s work and sleep soundly at night because you’re properly tired. When you’re doing gigs, you’re more mentally tired than anything else. You have a couple of drinks and try and get to sleep. But it’s not the same. So getting back to stonemasonry for a day or two when I can is always nice. [...] '''It’s a bit of a culture shock then, isn’t it, moving from that into the world of media or public relations?''' God yeah, there’s so much nonsense. Take MySpace and Facebook and all of that, for example. I don’t get on a computer often, but I have people working on those sites on my behalf. From time to time, they’d send out messages to people. So then these people approach me at gigs to thank me for wishing them a happy birthday and I have no idea what they’re talking about. I find that really sick, you know? [...] '''Your third album is mostly written. Do you have particular ambitions for it?''' I’m not hung up about record sales, but I’ve always wanted to record one of those albums that lodges itself in the public consciousness, that has its own stamp creatively, rather than commercially. Something like Tom Wait’s ''Closing Time'', Bruce Springsteen’s ''Nebraska'' or Bob Dylan’s ''Blood on the Tracks''. That’s what I aspire to.}}</ref>

===''White Lies''===
{{main|White Lies (Mick Flannery album)}}
Flannery's second studio album ''White Lies'' was released on September 12, 2008,<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|author=Aoife McDonnell|url=http://www.state.ie/2008/09/features/interview-mick-flannery/|title=Interview: Mick Flannery|date=September 8, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[State (magazine)|State]]''}}</ref> later going platinum in Ireland.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC">{{cite web|url=http://www.kerryman.ie/incoming/top-artists-to-pay-a-festive-visit-to-the-inec-1986171.html|title=Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC|date=December 23, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Kerryman]]''}}</ref> On the day of the album's release Flannery performed "Tomorrow's Papers" on ''[[The Late Late Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/latelate/20080912.html|title=Friday, 12 September 2008|date=September 12, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref><ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve">{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/micks-in-the-house-for-new-years-eve-1979509.html|title=Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve|date=December 17, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref> The song contributed to the increasing popularity of the singer-songwriter.<ref name="Mick and John sing by the banks"/> entertainment.ie's Lauren Murphy said: "''White Lies'' may not be a perfect album, but it's certainly a promising step forward for a real talent".<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (entertainment.ie)">{{cite web|author=Lauren Murphy|url=http://entertainment.ie/album-review/Mick-Flannery---White-Lies/5893.htm|title=Mick Flannery - White Lies|date=September 23, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[entertainment.ie]]}}</ref> [[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]] reviewer Harry Guerin commented: "If you're adamant that Ireland may sink with another singer-songwriter on tour, then this is a record to seek out; you won't notice the time passing and the nation will remain afloat".<ref name="Mick Flannery - White Lies (RTÉ)">{{cite web|author=Harry Guerin|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0911/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery - White Lies|date=September 11, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref>

Flannery began a tour of Ireland after the release of ''White Lies''.<ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time">{{cite web|author=Eamon Carr|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/hq/a-rolling-stone-1477619.html|title=A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time|date=September 18, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref> He performed a duet of "Christmas Past" with [[Lisa Hannigan]] in December 2008 after [[Today FM]]'s [[Tony Fenton]] paired them together for a radio show broadcast from a rooftop.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lisahannigan.ie/blogs/news/archive/2008/12/09/72.aspx|title=Lisa's Duet with Mick Flannery|date=December 9, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=Official website of [[Lisa Hannigan]]}}</ref> He joined Hannigan at a show in [[Vicar Street]] to perform the same duet that month.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ed Power|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/lisa-musters-the-chutzpah-to-go-solo-in-spotlight-1574928.html|title=Lisa musters the chutzpah to go solo in spotlight|date=December 15, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref> "Tomorrow's Paper" was translated into the [[Irish language]] for a CD titled ''Ceol '09'', an annual compilation released by [[Seachtain na Gaeilge]].<ref name="It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol">{{cite web|author=Jackie Hayden|url=http://www.hotpress.com/features/reports/5295003.html|title=It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol|date=March 6, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Hot Press]]''}}</ref> The Irish version was recorded in forty minutes at a studio in [[Dublin]]'s [[Merrion Square]].<ref name="It’s only rock ‘n’ ceol"/> Flannery performed a cover version of "[[The River (Bruce Springsteen song)|The River]]" on ''[[The Ray D'Arcy Show]]''{{'}}s Discover Ireland Feel Good Tour stopover in [[Carlingford, County Louth|Carlingford]] and [[Cooley Peninsula]] in March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.argus.ie/news/darcys-ray-of-sunshine-1687239.html|title=D'Arcy's Ray of sunshine: Radio show broadcasts from Carlingford|date=March 25, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Argus (Dundalk)|The Argus]]''}}</ref> A [[Special edition|deluxe edition]] of ''White Lies'', which featured a duet of the song "Christmas Past" with [[Kate Walsh (singer)|Kate Walsh]], was released in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Linda McGee|url=http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/1216/flannerym.html|title=Mick Flannery's Christmas|date=December 16, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann|RTÉ]]}}</ref><ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/>

He performed alongside [[John Spillane]] at [[Live at the Marquee (festival)|Live at the Marquee]] in Cork in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/news/spillane-tunes-up-for-kilworth-2003013.html|title=Spillane tunes up for Kilworth|date=January 7, 2010|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/marquee-keeps-the-summer-rocking-1802149.html|title=Marquee keeps the summer rocking|date=July 2, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref><ref name="Mick and John sing by the banks">{{cite web|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/mick-and-john-sing-by-the-banks-1777910.html|title=Mick and John sing by the banks|date=June 18, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref> Flannery said being asked to perform there was "daunting [...] In many ways I have drifted into this career and still have to pinch myself regularly to make sure I am not imagining it all".<ref>{{cite web|author=Bill Browne|url=http://www.corkman.ie/entertainment/top-irish-acts-in-the-mix-this-year-1654007.html|title=Top Irish acts in the mix this year|date=February 26, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Corkman]]''}}</ref>

He performed at the Bloom Festival as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of [[The Rose of Tralee]] in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|author=Simon Brouder|url=http://www.kerryman.ie/entertainment/a-blooming-good-day-out-to-raise-funds-for-festival-1685204.html|title=A 'Blooming' good day out to raise funds for Festival|date=March 25, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Kerryman]]''}}</ref> He made an apperance on the Crawdaddy Stage at [[Electric Picnic 2009]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/the-home-front-guaranteed-irish-at-the-picnic-1872817.html|title=The home front: guaranteed Irish at the Picnic|date=August 29, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/around-town/the-insider-23072009-1836586.html|title=The Insider: 23/07/2009|date=July 23, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=[[Jim Carroll (journalist)|Jim Carroll]]|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0828/1224253373951.html|title=Pick of the Picnic|date=August 28, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Also playing: Damien Dempsey, Amadou Mariam, Fionn Regan, Echo the Bunnymen, Okkervil River, Mick Flannery, Villagers, Halfset}}</ref> He performed a date at the [[Cork Opera House]] on December 31, 2009 as part of celebrations marking the end of the decade.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Clayton-Lea|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1231/1224261435071.html|title=Rocking out the decade|date=December 31, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=In Cork (Opera House), Mick Flannery does his accomplished singer- songwriter thing, while in Galway (Róisín Dubh) Fight Like Apes, Messiah J the Expert, Disconnect 4, Le Galaxie and Feed the Bears pave the way for a sore head on New Year’s Day.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Tony Clayton-Lea|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/1224/1224261137474.html|title=Going out: The Gig guide|date=December 24, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=New Year’s Eve best bets around the country include Mick Flannery (Cork), Jerry Fish (Dublin) and Fight Like Apes (Galway).}}</ref> He has sold out several other venues around Ireland.<ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/> He has also toured the UK.<ref>{{cite web|author=Maria Pepper|url=http://www.wexfordpeople.ie/news/how-barry-bagged-imelda-for-sellout-wexford-show-1853034.html|title=How Barry bagged Imelda for sellout Wexford show|date=August 5, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Wexford People]]''}}</ref>

===Third album===
Flannery has written most of his third album.<ref name="Talk time"/>

==Style==
Flannery composes original lyrics and music.<ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> Among the topics he has written about is the subject of heartbreak, for which he has drawn on past experiences.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> He read the literary works of [[Charles Bukowski]], [[Jonathan Miller]] and [[John Steinbeck]] from a young age.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> His biggest musical influences are [[Leonard Cohen]], [[Bob Dylan]] and [[Tom Waits]], once sending a letter to Waits but receiving no reply.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> Flannery attended shows by Cohen at the [[Royal Hospital Kilmainham]] and Waits in the [[Phoenix Park]] when they came to Ireland in 2008.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> He is also fond of current music and likes the lyrics of [[Alex Turner (musician)|Alex Turner]] from [[Arctic Monkeys]].<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> The ''[[RTÉ Guide]]'' once described his lyrics as "so personal they seemed carved from his very soul" and his humour was said to be "as dry as a [[Good Friday]] in [[Glenstal Abbey|Glenstall Abbey]]{{sic}}".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/>

==Personal life==
Flannery and his mother are both enamoured with music. His father and sister are both mathematicians: his sister [[Sarah Flannery|Sarah]] won the [[Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition|Esat Young Scientist Exhibition]] and [[European Union Contest for Young Scientists|EU Young Scientist of the Year]] in 1999 at the age of 16.{{fact}}<ref name="My Holidays">{{cite web|author=Genevieve Carbery|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/travel/2009/0418/1224244965886.html|title=My Holidays|date=April 18, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=I visited my sister [the former Young Scientist winner Sarah Flannery] in San Francisco. She’s lived over there for the last couple of years. [...] I like going down to Kerry. My mother’s family live down there in Coolroe, outside Killarney. It’s nice there, with beautiful mountains, lakes and natural landscape.}}</ref> She went on to release a book called ''In Code'', co-written by her father David Flannery. Sarah now works as a Chief Scientist at Tirnua, which she helped found.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Flannery</ref> Flannery's mother Elaine Flannery, also a talented musician, has recently released an album entitled ''Keepsake''.{{fact}} Her family live in [[Coolroe]] near [[Killarney]].<ref name="My Holidays"/> He has three other brothers: David, Brian and Eamonn.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Flannery</ref>

Flannery is shy.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He has experienced terrible [[stage fright]] before performances, including vomiting all over the dressing room.<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery">{{cite web|author=Ed Power|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/day-and-night/features/qampa-mick-flannery-1949521.html|title=Q&A: Mick Flannery|date=November 20, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref> He does not often use a computer, often asking others to update his [[Facebook]] and [[MySpace]] accounts and finding it "really sick" when people come to him at his shows to thank him for replying to their messages.<ref name="Talk time"/>

He has a cottage in Cork where he rehearses and retreats to on a regular basis.<ref>http://musicalrooms.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/musical-rooms-part-63-mick-flannery/</ref>

Flannery tends to socialise with his fellow stonemasons instead of with other singer-songwriters.<ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/> They prefer to talk about [[sex]] instead of music.<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/> He also enjoys playing [[poker]].<ref name="Q&A: Mick Flannery"/> He has admitted: "I'm a dour bollocks. I wouldn't be the life and soul of any party. I'd be sitting in the corner".<ref name="Star of the Day: The Quiet Man"/>

==Band members==
===Current===
* Mick Flannery — [[Lead vocalist|lead vocals]], [[piano]], [[guitar]]

* Karen O'Doherty — [[Violin]], vocals

* Yvonne Daly — Vocals

* Hugh Dillon — [[Electric guitar]]

* Brian Hassett — [[Bass guitar]]

* Christian Best — [[Drum kit|Drums]]

===Former===
* Aaron Dillon — [[Harmonica]] (notably "In the Gutter" from the album ''Evening Train'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.drogheda-independent.ie/entertainment/daring-debut-album-launch-1389006.html|title=Daring debut album launch|date=May 21, 2008|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Drogheda Independent]]''}}</ref>

==Discography==
*''Mick Flannery E.P.''
*''Evening Train''
*''White Lies''

==Awards==
''[[The Irish Times]]'' placed him at number forty-six in a list of "The 50 Best Irish Acts Right Now" published in April 2009,<ref name="The next 50 bands">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2009/0410/1224244309293.html|title=The next 50 bands|date=2009-04-10|accessdate=2009-08-16|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''}}</ref> commenting on his album ''White Lies'': "With this stunning exhibition of the gravel-voiced musician’s abilities, Flannery turned his hand to mournful piano ballads and catchy guitar tunes with a flair that far surpasses his 25 years".<ref name="The 50 best Irish music acts right now">{{cite web|author=Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea, Sinéad Gleeson, Lauren Murphy|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/theticket/articles/2009/0403/1224243925837.html|title=The 50 best Irish music acts right now|date=2009-04-03|accessdate=2009-08-16|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=2008 was a good year for Mick Flannery. The former stonemason had hung up his chisel in search of musical fulfilment several years back, yet his 2005 debut album (''Evening Train'') failed to make any huge impression, despite the Corkonian’s talent as a writer and performer. Last year’s Choice- nominated ''White Lies'' changed everything. With this stunning exhibition of the gravel-voiced musician’s abilities, Flannery turned his hand to mournful piano ballads and catchy guitar tunes with a flair that far surpasses his 25 years.}}</ref>

===International Songwriting Competition===
Flannery won in two categories in the [[International Songwriting Competition]] in [[Nashville, Tennessee]]: "In the Gutter" in the category of Folk Singer-Songwriter and "The Tender" in the category of Lyrics Only.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Stone mason sings"/> This came from a panel of judges which featured several renowned songwriters, including Flannery's idol, Tom Waits.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Interview: Mick Flannery"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="A Rolling Stone: Ex-stonemason Mick Flannery looks set to hit the big time"/> He was the first Irish musician to win in this competition.<ref name="Other Voices"/><ref name="Programme 1: Mick Flannery"/> The two songs featured on the album ''Evening Train''.<ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/>

{{awards table}}
|-
| || "In the Gutter" || Folk Singer-Songwriter || {{won}}
|-
| || "The Tender" || Lyrics Only || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===''Hot Press'' Reader's Poll===
Flannery was ''[[Hot Press]]''{{'}}s Most Promising Act in its 2009 Reader's Poll.<ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/>

{{awards table}}
|-
| 2009 || Mick Flannery || Most Promising Act || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===Meteor Music Awards===
Flannery won Best Irish Male at the [[2009 Meteor Awards]].<ref name="My Holidays"/><ref name="Top artists to pay a festive visit to the INEC"/><ref name="Mick's in the house for New Year's Eve"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/theticket/2009/0320/1224243108287.html|title=Sticking to The Script|date=March 20, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[The Irish Times]]''|quote=Imelda May, Mick Flannery and Westlife also took home awards.</ref>

{{awards table}}
|-
| [[2009 Meteor Awards|2009]] || Mick Flannery || Best Irish Male || {{won}}
|-
{{end}}

===Choice Music Prize===
In 2009, Flannery was nominated for the [[Choice Music Prize]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Sarah Stack|url=http://www.herald.ie/entertainment/music/the-script-favourites-for-top-music-award-1602508.html|title=The Script favourites for top music award|date=January 15, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Evening Herald]]''}}</ref> He lost to [[Jape (band)|Jape]], though he was mentioned in the acceptance speech, as frontman Richie Egan mentioned what his mother had told him before the award: “They all deserve the award -- sure my mother even told me that Mick Flannery was going to win, she said you're good, Ritchie{{sic}}, but he's gorgeous”.<ref>{{cite web|author=Caitrina Cody|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/jolly-jape-admits-hes-surprised-to-scoop-choice-gong-1661637.html|title=Jolly Jape admits he's surprised to scoop Choice gong|date=March 5, 2009|accessdate=January 9, 2010|publisher=''[[Irish Independent]]''}}</ref>

{{awards table}}
|-
| 2009 || ''[[White Lies (Mick Flannery album)|White Lies]]'' || Irish Album of the Year 2008 || {{nom}}
|-
{{end}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book
| last = Huston
| first = Jenny
| authorlink = Jenny Huston
| others = Foreword by [[Glen Hansard]]
| title = In Bloom—Irish Bands Now
| date = 2009-11-27
| publisher = Currach Press
| isbn = 978-1-85607-985-3
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Mick Flannery}}
* [http://www.mickflannery.com Official website]
* {{myspace|name=Mick Flannery|id=mickflannery}}
* {{twitter|mickflannery}}
* [http://www.rte.ie/tv/othervoices/mickflannery.html Mick Flannery] on ''[[Other Voices (TV series)|Other Voices]]''
* [http://www.songoftheyear.com/winners/122004.htm International Song of the Year Finalists]
* [http://www.songwritingcompetition.com/SemiFinalists2004.htm ISC Winners Page]
* [http://thishereboogie.com/take-it-on-the-chin-mick-flannery-2005/ Flannery's song 'Take It On The Chin' song of the day on thishereboogie.com]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flannery, Mick}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Irish folk singers]]
[[Category:Irish rock singers]]
[[Category:Irish singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from County Cork]]