Michael McLoughlin · Two books, one street
For seventeen years, Michael McLoughlin busked on Henry Street in Dublin. His memoir, The Busker, reveals what the crowd never saw, while The Little Busker shares what he wants every child to know.
Songs, streets & the stories in between
Busker's Story
Thousands of people passed Michael McLoughlin on Henry Street, and to them he was Mick the Busker, a man whose voice and guitar could stop the street in its tracks. Every song hid a story nobody there knew.
The answers are in The Busker.
What finally pushed a man full of excuses to take up his guitar and walk out of his front door?
AnswerWhere did he go after dark, once the street he sang on fell silent?
AnswerWhat was inside the envelope a stranger left in his guitar case?
AnswerAnd why did a family come searching for him eleven months later, pushing a pram?
Answer
Book 01 · Irish Memoir
Songs, streets and the stories in between
This is not the tale of a man who lived an easy life and found fame at the end of it. It is the story of a Dublin busker who was knocked down more often than most, and who still turned up every morning with his guitar.
Raw, funny and honest to the bone, told as Michael McLoughlin talks.
“I wasn't the greatest guitarist in the world. I wasn't the best singer either. But I had songs. And I meant every word I sang.”
Book 02 · Irish Storybook
Small songs, big dreams
A young boy, his guitar almost as big as he is, and a cobbled street glowing gold as the day ends.
Michael McLoughlin's Henry Street lessons, all handed to the next generation.
About Michael McLoughlin
Michael McLoughlin was raised in Coolock, in a house where music lived in the walls. His first instrument was a tin whistle. His first busk was a nervous song on a Dublin street.
He busked for seventeen years. Today his voice carries well beyond Henry Street, and he uses it to tell anyone who is struggling that they are not alone.
The son. The father. The friend. The fighter.
“The King of Strumpet City”Featured in Sunday World and on Talking Bollox Podcast
Busker's Setlist
These are the songs that run through The Busker, and each changed something: a morning, a stranger, a life.
The first song he ever sang on a street, with his hands shaking.
A stranger across the road gave one nod. An hour later, he returned.
Asked for every single morning by the same man, a coffee in his hand.
A request from an American tourist, then a pale blue envelope.
A deserted Henry Street, one voice, and a video that travelled far beyond Dublin.
Sung to one child who didn't need words to understand it.
Discover what happened next.
Sample Chapter One
The opening page of The Busker, in his own words. No plan, no stage, and every excuse he could find.
Go on, read a little.
Chapter 1
The Day I Said It
People often ask me, “Mick, what made you go busking?” And to be honest, there wasn't some big master plan.
It started with a thought. A spark. A little voice in my head that wouldn't shut up.
You could just go out onto the street and sing? You don't have to wait for somebody to give you permission? For days, I'd be thinking about it. Could I do that? Would people stop and listen? Would I forget the words?
Maybe next week.
Maybe when I get better at the guitar.
Maybe when I learn a few more songs.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
But eventually there comes a time when you're sick of listening to your own excuses. And one day, I just said it:
I picked up my guitar and went out onto the street.
Keeping the fight going
Mick doesn't share his story because he has all the answers. He shares it because he knows what it feels like to believe there are none. If one song, one conversation or one page helps somebody keep going, it was worth telling.
When the world feels heavy and the road is long,
I find a little strength inside a song.
The fight may hurt, and the tears may fall,
But I'll keep on singing through it all.
Every small step counts.
If you are struggling right now, please talk to someone. In Ireland and the UK, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, day or night.
Watch & listen
Turn it up. Then read the story behind it.
Veteran Busker Mick McLoughlin Joins The 3 Busketeers For An Impromptu Jam on O'Connell Street
