My life with John Neville: 'Alopecia is the reason I became a musician'

The Cork singer-songwriter reflects on teenage isolation, family hardship and how adversity shaped his enduring passion for music

John Neville who is a singer-songwriter says he began songwriting during a period of time he lived with alopecia as a teenager. Picture by Noel Sweeney.

I never imagined that locking myself away in my bedroom, after losing my hair at 17, would lead to me becoming the musician I am today.

I had been working under the mentorship of ANCO at the time, which was the State agency responsible for industrial training in Ireland.