He started playing music in the 1960s with fellow Irish guitarist Dan Coffey, when he formed the Jangle Dangle band.
He later played in Freak Show with Pete Cummins and vocalist Ditch Cassidy.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he had a residence with Red Peters in the Meeting Place in Dorset Street in Dublin, and played with the Floating Dublin Blues Band, Christy Moore, Dónal Lunny, Mary Coughlan, Paul Brady and Luka Bloom.
At the end of the 1980s, he went on to play with the Fleadh Cowboys, Hotfoot and regularly accompanied Kieran Halpin.
His main instrument was a red 1967 Fender Stratocaster, but he also played a Gibson ES335 which he got in California.