Last week, Mick turned 70 in his beloved Rathconrath and the man who has played along with Tony Allen on some of the biggest stages overseas, took it all in his stride. From horses to handball and boxing to music, Mick has been around the course.

Born near Ballymore Eustace in Co Kildare, the family moved to Rathconrath between Mullingar and Ballymahon in 1960. His father was a horsebox driver in Kildare, taking horses to race meetings, and Mick has a great love for horses since his childhood years.

The Christmas school concert in Milltown NS near Rathconrath in 1960 was the first time ever he played music in front of a crowd.

“The school also served as a community hall at the weekend and I played a few tunes in the auld hall in Milltown that night. I had just gone 13 at the time.”

Even as a teenager, Mick was making progress on the music scene.

“In 1963, I made my debut on both radio and television. The radio show was upstairs in the old Henry Street studio of Radio Éireann. It was called Children at the Microphone and was presented by Pat Laide. A few months later I got a spot on an RTÉ show hosted by Seamus Ennis and that was a big thing at the time. You could say I have been a traditional musician from day one.”

During school holidays, Mick got a summer job on the estate where his father worked as a chauffeur.

“I was milking cows by hand, making hay, all the things that rural people did in the 1960s. I had a fierce interest in farming.”

Mick first met Tony Allen in the late 1960s and recalls a chat he had with him after seeing the Alexander Brothers from Scotland on the Late Late Show.

“They made a big impression on me and I had a feeling there should be an Irish version that could do well. I mentioned it to Tony, but he had no interest in it at the time. Tony and Tom (TR) were involved with a local Westmeath band, The Marylanders, and I joined them for a while. The lads were later with The Night Runners, after Doc Carroll left that band.

“In 1974, I brought up the two-piece idea with Tony again. After six months, he agreed to give it a try for a while. We did our first gig in the Prince of Wales Pub in Kilburn Park in London, which was run at the time by Paddy Callaghan from Derry.

“We went down a storm the first night. We ended up doing the full week there. That’s where Foster and Allen were born. Our first Irish gig was in Dowling’s of Prosperous.

“We went professional in 1977 and released The Rambles of Spring. It got great airplay on RTÉ Radio and got us well known. Bunch of Thyme hit the number one spot in 1979 and then Maggie topped the charts in both Australia and New Zealand in 1983. This opened up markets for us that have remained strong and loyal to this day.”

Outside of music, Mick has never lost his love for horses. He fondly recalls the time he asked the late Francis Flood, one of Ireland’s top National Hunt trainers, to buy a racehorse for himself and Tony.

“Francis, along with Frank Berry, bought this mare for £4,500 at the sales in the RDS. We called her Nancy Moyles, after a song we recorded that was written by Kevin Sheerin. When I saw her I thought she was a slight bit of a yoke, but Francis did a great job in breaking her in. She went on to win 19 races.

“We have had a good few horses over the years and all of them have had some success and wins.”

Hurling is Mick’s choice as a spectator sport.

“A lot of my ancestors were hurlers down in Tipperary. Matt Hassett, who captained Tipp to the All Ireland win in 1961, was a cousin of my mother.

“My great-grandfather was Ned Maher and he played in the first final in Birr in 1887. My grand-uncle was Wedger Maher from Toomevara. I was never any good at the game myself,” laughs Mick.

He wasn’t laughing the night he got knocked out in a boxing ring.

“I was Westmeath featherweight champion around 1968. I was to fight in Kilbeggan one night. I had knocked a chap out a month earlier and the fella I was to box this night had lost to that same lad, so when we got to the hall I was told that he had pulled out.

“My father and myself went down town and had a few whiskies and came back to the hall to watch the last few bouts.

“One of the lads said there was a chap down from Dublin and would I mind going in the ring for a challenge fight. I was feeling so good I’d have got in the ring with Muhammad Ali at that stage.

“Never drink and go fighting on the same night.”

Mick, a three times All-Ireland champion accordion player, still loves the local sessions in Gunning’s Bar in Rathconrath where friends gather to do what they love best.

“We have the regular Sunday evening trad sessions from 7pm to 9pm, with anything from six or seven up to 20 musicians. They love the music and banter.”

A family get-together marked the 70th birthday last week.

“Moyra (Fraser) and my granddaughter, Sarah, put a lot of work into making a video with messages from many friends in the business. It was a lovely surprise for me.” CL