What do you think about your parents? The most loving and supportive parents anyone could ever wish for. My father is 92 years old and my mother is 80 years old, and I consider myself very lucky to still have my parents at 58 years old. [Ó Braonáin’s father died just after this interview took place.]
Was your home an Irish speaking home? Both of my parents were Irish speakers from Dublin. When my father was nine years old, he decided that he wanted to go to Ring College to study Irish, and subsequently changed his name from Harry Brennan to Annlai Ó Braonan.
Have you passed on the language to your children? The twin daughters, who have just turned 33, received all their schooling as Gaeilges and continue to use Irish in their daily lives. My middle child is in France and speaks French, so she has her own chapter. and has a 9-year-old daughter with her wife, Siona. Her daughter attends the local Gaelscoil and speaks Irish. Our 11 year old son is autistic so it was recommended that he stick to one language. He's frustrated now that he can't speak Irish.
Did your school have a big impact on your life? School had a huge influence on me because it was where my music started. For primary school I attended Scoil Lorcaine in Monkstown. My first tin whistle teacher other than my father was Padraig O Mealoid, also an RTÉ newsreader and voice-over artist. So Liam[O Maonlaoi, singer with Hot House Flowers]his brother Colm and I started jamming together. We were all playing songs together at the bus stop.
Did you like school? It really was. I went to Colaiste Eoin for the secondary course and they were really encouraging music. There was Davey Spillane from the Moving Hearts, and I remember when I was in first grade there was a trad band in sixth grade that was like Planksty and Bothy Band for us. Every class had a band. We ended up competing in Throgado, and even though it was a contest, it felt like a festival to us.
What did you think you would become when you grew up? I think it was clear that I wanted to be a musician. However, it was also clear that this was unrealistic, so he went to UCD to study law, which he only lasted a year.
What was your breakthrough moment? We started Hothouse Flowers in April 1985 when Liam was at Trinity and I was at UCD. That summer we started busking on Grafton Street. It was just us and our guitars, but the energy drew a huge crowd and it was packed, filling our bellies with pasta at the Coffee Inn and pints at Toner's. Busking played a huge role in creating a sense of invincibility and self-confidence. Gigs at UCD, Ragweek, Freshers' Ball and Trinity Ball followed, then radio and late late showand then we went into the studio to make a record on U2's label, Mother Records.
What is your greatest strength as a musician and broadcaster? I like people. Listening to the radio late at night makes me feel like I'm part of a community. The sense of community is something I value, and it's part of being in a band.
The symbol of my style is… suit. When I started busking, I always wore a suit. Used suits can be of great value. I had one that I paid $55 for at George's Street Arcade.
I buy clothes when… This will leave a hole in your underwear. I bought a lot of clothes from outlets and nice thrift stores, especially while traveling in America.