Shape I'm In: Jimmy Crowley's Rhythm of Life

FOR a man who is regarded as quintessentially Cork, thanks to his ’70s rendition of The Boys of Fairhill, it comes as a surprise to hear that the genteel county of Kent is one of Jimmy Crowley’s favourite places to hang out.

“It’s the garden of England. I love it because of the heat and quaint houses, the marshes and the coastline. I prefer it to Spain — coming home fat and burnt.”

A folk musician, song collector and composer, he returned to Ireland a year ago after spending five years in Florida. “I started to miss home,” he says.