Michael is primarily a flute, whistle and fiddle player who has lived in Ballymote, Co Sligo, for the last 35 years.. He is 2nd generation Irish raised in Leeds, UK. His father, also Michael, was a flute player from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, who was a contemporary of Paddy Carty and the Brodericks. His mother, Eileen, is from Aughamore, Co. Mayo, and has also music in the family.

Michael and his 3 brothers; Des, Kev and Drew, started music lessons in the Irish Centre in Leeds in the early 70s with the newly formed Leeds branch of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. Locally, his main influences in the Leeds sessions would have been musicians from North Connacht, in particular Mayo, the men who rebuilt England after the 2nd World War.

When the first record player came into the house it was the records of Seamus Tansey, Joe Burke, Finbarr Dwyer, Brendan McGlinchey, the Shaskeen, and the Tulla Ceili Band, which were the biggest influences. In the golden era of Traditional music in the mid to late 70s, Matt Molloy and the Bothy Band, Planxty, Frankie Gavin and De Danann were all tremendous influences. About the same time, Roscommon fiddle player, Paddy Ryan who was then living in Birmingham gave the family a cassette tape of old 78 records of Michael Coleman, James Morrison and more of the 1920s and 30s greats, pure musical gold.

There was a thriving folk scene in the North of England at the time. Many young people came to study at Leeds University and became involved in the Irish music scene. At school, Michael played in Folk and Folk Rock groups, and later a bit of Country and Irish, which was popular in the Irish pubs and clubs. Thankfully, no known recordings exist from this era.

In 1987, Michael, his young wife Patricia and 2 infants, Mairead and Dermot, moved to Ireland. This was for a better quality of life in “the land of saints and scholars”, but also a land of emigration, depression, and comparative poverty. They decided to buy a business – a newsagent’s shop in Ballymote. Before he left Leeds, he recorded a cassette tape with his brother Des, called ‘Over the Water’.

Michael had not been playing many sessions before the move, but the session scene in South Sligo Coleman Country was vibrant at the time, so he felt compelled to go out almost every night to play and support the music.

Some time later he was asked to do some music teaching and after receiving the TTCT music teaching diploma from Comhaltas he went on to teach all over South Sligo in both National Schools and CCE branches. Many of his pupils went on to become All Ireland champions. He has coached many groups and ceili bands with considerable success. After selling the shop in 2004 he took up music full time. He was awarded a ‘Ceannródai’ at the Sligo All Ireland Fleadh in 2015 in recognition of his services to Irish Music teaching and promotion.

He has been a regular tutor at many festivals and summer schools including the South Sligo Summer School, Tubbercurry, Joe Mooney Drumshanbo, Seosamh Mac Gabhann Summer School Kilmovee, the O’Carolan School, Keadue and Scoil Eigse.

Ceili Bands have always been one of Michael’s passions, as a band member and a trainer. In 1992, chatting to PJ Hernon after competing in the senior band competition, they decided to form a band to actually play for céilithe. Set dancing was getting very popular at the time and so the Swallow’s Tail Ceili Band was hatched. The original members with Michael and PJ were – John McHugh on fiddle and Maria Lynn on piano, Michael Sheridan on drums, joining soon after was Jim Corry sharing keyboard duty with Maria. PJ left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Tom Doherty from Foxford. They continue to be one of Ireland’s top bands for dancers playing classy, rhythmic, melodious West of Ireland music.

Michael is also a founder member of Ceoltoíri Coleman, which is the in-house music group of the Coleman Centre in Gurteen, where Michael works part time as a teacher and resident musician. He played in the group, ‘Misneach’, alongside PJ Hernon, Declan Folan, Junior Davey and Brian Lofthouse, which itself grew out of Ceoltoiri Coleman.

Michael has toured extensively all over Europe and the USA.

His most recent project was the compilation of a book of tunes for the Coleman Centre called ‘Where the Owenmore Flows’ , 100 traditional musical gems from North Connacht and beyond. The collection comprises lesser-known tunes from local musicians, using the extensive resources of the Coleman Centre archive. The book and accompanying CDs was launched in Summer 2022.

Michael and Patricia have 5 children, Mairead, Diarmuid, Eileen, Deirdre and Sean, all of whom play a small bit of music.