He was born in the townland of Carramore, Bullaun, near Loughrea in County Galway.
He left Galway for Dublin in the early 1950s, where he became an enthusiastic member of the Pipers Club.
He was an exponent of the East Galway flute style.
[1] In 1992 The Turoe Stone, a book containing 32 of his compositions, was published.
Many of his compositions became part of the repertoire of musicians playing Irish music worldwide and were recorded by dozens of artists and bands.