Born in Belfast in 1933, educated St. Malachy’s College [1946 –‘48’] Blackrock College, Dublin [1948 – ‘52] Qualified as a Company Accountant in 1958. Up to 1980, proprietor of Tohil -Vino Co. [Wine merchants.]

All his life he has been involved in social and voluntary work. Founder member of College Unions of Ireland, Belfast Entertainment Network providing radio and live entertainment shows for Hospitals. For 21 years [7 years as Treasurer] on the Executive Committee of Bryson House [formerly called Belfast Council of Social Welfare, the largest charitable organisation in Northern Ireland. Founder member of Citizen Advice Bureau, Voluntary Service Bureau and Harmony Community Trust. Chairman for The Wireless Bedridden Society and a former treasurer of War on Want [N.I.]. Treasurer of the White House Trust and founder member of Clonard Credit Union, one of the three largest Credit Unions in Northern Ireland.

Producer of the radio show ‘Voice of the North’ which ran for three years on Radio Eireann. A noted filmmaker, producing award winning documentaries; ‘Conor’, ‘Donegal’, ‘The Northern Irish in Hollywood’,

‘Lough Derg- a Place of Pilgrimage’ and ‘Belleek -An Enduring Heritage’ [with Roy Spence] The latter winning one of the most coveted awards in the amateur film world – a silver knight at the Golden Knight Festival in Malta in 1982. In 1989 he was awarded a fellowship of the Institute of Cinematographers. This is his 3rd book – the first ‘Donegal – An Exploration’ [4 publications, first published in 1976, selling in excess of 15,000 copies]. The 2nd book- ‘Pubs of the North’ [5,000 copies] – it’s now recognised as ‘The Bible of the Trade’.