 I was going to open here in Leta Kenny next week. It's at the Charlie's Cafe and it is from Tommy Halligan. And a lot of people around out of Kenny and beyond would know Tommy and Tommy Story, I suppose, as well because Tommy was a well-known in business circles, had his own shop called Portobello Road down at the market centre. Before that, worked actually at Sheamus McAteers shop, county seat when it was down Lower Main Street and did some DJ and worked on here for a time. And it was a communications consultant and dairy at the link in the foils side and also at his own furniture business in Leta Kenny. But it was around that time when he was just 36 years of age that he was diagnosed with MS and a lot has changed over the years for Tommy. And not for the better, obviously. But Tommy's now in his 50s, lives in Kilmahquennan and lives independently with the help of a PA is a proud father of three and a justice-proud grandfather of three and I'm delighted that Tommy joins me in the studio now, Tommy. How you doing, John? Good. It's been a while. Because we used to deal, going back a while, we used to deal in advertising and then you were raising money quite a bit then at the start of your diagnosis for MS and I haven't heard from you in ages. But I'm back. You're back. Yes. No, it's great. It's great having found this art. It's just amazing. I didn't realise. How did you find it? Well, I have a friend, Redmond Heritage. He's into sculpting and all that. He is. He's very talented. And we were running about together, whatever. And he had a couple of friends, Christy and Sarah Keeney, they're into art as well. And I was just surrounded by art with the carving and the painting and the clay making. So you thought you'd give it a go yourself? Well, sure. Why not? Why not? And then I started... We just had a chance in a bit of art. But I was doing a bit of oils and it's impossible to work with oils because some people can. But I found that... The abstract art? The acrylic paint dries really quick. So you can enjoy your painting once you do it. Look at it and it's lovely. Is that the main difference between oils and acrylic? To me. I'm not an artist. I'm saying I am. I am sort of an artist. But when I found... You're a different sort of an artist. Well, hold on a minute, John. Well, everybody's a different sort of an artist. I could take you up for that. No, the acrylic paint is just wonderful to work with. And... You can mix all different colours, come out with your own colours and you can express different emotions through different colours. Like red is anger and white and yellow is happiness to me. And it's just... When you put it on the paper, it just speaks back to you. It's just... I've... If you just see my paintings... Then you'll understand. Yeah, they do talk back to you. Believe it or not, I'm not mad. They do talk back to you. I'm going to take your word for that. And you just got... Are you started on this pathway, if you like, during the punt down? Yeah, yeah. I couldn't get out or do. Frustration, yeah. There was a lot going on. I'm in pain 24-7. I've got osteoporosis as well. So along with MS, I also have osteoporosis. So I've kind of been held back by a lot of things, but that gave me a way to just burst out and... Focus? Yeah, focus on something else and not being in four walls and locked in. I was able to express myself. Right. Something to think about and focus on other than the pain and managing it. People should pick up a paintbrush. It's amazing what it can do. It really is. Even if you haven't done it in years. If you've never done it. If you've never done it. And it gives you... I presume then it gives you great satisfaction when you've got a paint... How long would it take you to do a painting? I'm doing one at the moment. Three months at it, right? But it's normally... So you go back to it now and again and add a bit to it? Yeah, yeah. But you do one in 20 minutes. If you want it? Yeah. I remember Kevin Sharkey saying, I'll throw it up in a couple of minutes. But the average for you would be what? It'll be somewhere in between 20 minutes and three months? No, well, it's generally four or five hours for a painting. OK. And then when you did embrace painting, has it taken over your life or is it just another... Absolutely. You want to see my house, it's just covered with paintings. They're everywhere in there. It's like a workshop. It is a workshop. There was a picture in Jerry People and I was in shock when I saw it. I don't know why I asked and I couldn't figure it out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It just takes over your life. But it's a lovely way. You know, it's something to do. It's really nice. It's very relaxing. Because having MS and having to rely on a PA and having to, when you're out and about now, outside of the house, in a wheelchair... I can imagine. No, maybe not. But I'm guessing that it's incredibly isolating. Absolutely. And I'm not just chatting about the pandemic here. So to have something like painting that you can turn your attention to. That's just fabulous. And when people have seen your work now, they haven't seen it yet. But I'm sure like the likes of Edmund and people they're close to have seen it. At the start, I'd just done paintings and just give them to people and people say, you should be selling them. Not giving them away. And I say, well, you know, we have to start somewhere. So it's just... Well, that's just what I was going to ask. It must be reassuring when people are giving you painting a lot of compliments. And when people are telling me you should be selling them painting, they're good enough to sell. And I thought, well, are they? And they said, well, you have to try it. And then I was down with Giles and Giles, absolute gentleman. Giles McGee in Charlie's Cafe. And he says, have a wall if you want to you know, if you want to display your paintings and get them sold. No problem. And so... Isn't that what every artist wants? They want a place where they can exhibit their work and let people see it, judge for themselves. See what they think. If they think it's rubbish, it's grand. They want to buy it. I won't stop them. Just going back to the MS, is it... I mean, you mentioned there that you've got a couple of things going on. So there's pain involved in this about managing the pain on a daily basis. I'm on a drug now that is supposed to take away the pain. But they said it'll take about a month to get into your system. I'm taking it to see. I stayed away from drugs the whole start of the MS. I wouldn't touch the drugs at all. But at the start, you were a great advocate for cannabis oil as a way to ease your pain. Is that still the case? No. No, not really. I take it's a small capsule called LDN, low dose naltrexin. And it is fantastic. For the MS, not for the pain. It's like my MS is not getting a lot worse because of the LDN. I stopped taking it one time. My girlfriend says to me, you stop taking that LDN, haven't you? And I said, no, I haven't. I had stopped. So I started taking it again. This was years and years ago. I take it every day. It's slow, yeah. It's a fabulous thing. Okay, then. Back to the exhibition. It's opening on Monday. I can't read. To see you all down in Charlie's decorate with your art. People are going to be in and out and seeing it. It's unbelievable. As me, putting that up there and with help with Sarah and Sarah's with me now. She's hanging. Obviously, I can't do that. I can't actually physically put the paintings on the wall because I'm on a wheelchair. Sarah Keeney, my friend, she's hanging them for me. She's putting them up. And that's about it. So from Monday, we'll be able to see what you're chatting about. Your work. It's a bit like whether as an artist whether that's writing a song and putting it on an album and putting it up there in Spotify for people to hear. Or in the case of painting. I can't wait until people see them. In my own opinion, there is some good ones. I promise you, John. There are a few good ones. I'm sure Charles wouldn't have put them beforehand. He didn't think that there were good enough. I don't want, it's called let God bang your drum. Right? I have gold and yellow and supposed to be baby Jesus and I have green. He laid us down in green pastures and then I've read the blood of our Lord. It means something. I'm not religious but I do say my rosary every day and that's helping me as well a lot with my prayers. Do help me a lot. This picture means a lot to me. You say you're not religious you say a rosary every day and prayers do help you a lot to me. That would be, that's religious. Okay, alright. Yeah, well, okay. Pull you up on anything but it's okay. It's alright to admit that you're religious. I don't go to Mass every day. I do go to Mass but not every day. Okay, anyhow. Thanks, John. People can see your heart from Monday down at Charles Cafe down at Pierce Road in Better Camp. It'll be running right to Christmas anyway. So, alright. No mad rush at the start? No, I didn't mean that. Come down, come down. No mad rush. Take your time, have a look and see. Whenever you're in. It's a five o'clock on Monday. Five o'clock to seven is the opening. Is the official launch? The official launch is five o'clock to seven o'clock. Everybody wants to go along. I said to a friend I was five to seven and he says, what has it finished at ten to seven? Very good, very good. Listen Tommy, good to catch up with you again. Yeah, brilliant, John. Nice to meet you again. And good to chat. Thanks. You too. Thank you.