Mike Fitzgerald is one of 11 kids born t a humble, musical, Irish Catholic family background. Thirteen part harmony was the daily norm. He has been singing from forever and playing since he was 5, passing through the usual genres of folk, rock, blues, jug band and now in his dotage back to his origins of folk and original material. He started off at aged 5 with a ukukele, moved to a guitar at 12, later to a banjo, mouth harp, bohdran, then to whistles and uilleann pipes about 7 years ago, and who knows what next?
In the late 1990's he was a member of a mens group who met to discuss the meaning of life and what does being a man mean etc. When the group started to play for Carols on Christmas in 2000 then St. Patricks Day...they have been playing together ever since.
The music of Fir Croi is simply an off shoot of the love, trust, honesty and respect that the men in the group share together. Music is an essential part of our lives and it is the language of the soul that they use to communicate this sense of love, truth and fun. They love to share wherever the doors open, in pubs, in clubs, in old age homes, prisons, churches, dinner / dances, at weddings, funerals and wakes to name a few. "Funerals have got to be the best thing to do. What could be better then helping a family and friends to send their loved ones home! What a grace!" |