Culture That Made Me: Mel Mercier — Cork is my spiritual home

Musician and composer Mel Mercier includes Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Fiona Shaw and the McGarrigle Sisters among his touchstones

Mel Mercier grew up in Dublin but moved to Cork in 1986 to study music at UCC under his mentor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision.

Mel Mercier grew up in Dublin. In 1986, he moved to Cork — back to the birthplace of his father — to study music at UCC under his mentor Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. 

Over the next quarter of a century UCC and Cork became his musical and spiritual home, and went on to become chair of performing arts at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.