Talking Balls Issue 9 - Well Informed Ignorance
Talking BallsThis week in the one and only Talking Balls - beware inferior quality imitations!! - we reflect on a pugilistic display by Meathman Graham Geraghty. In the spirit of Hayes, Lyons et al he took all the Dubs could throw at him and gave it back with spades.
We look back at a series of unfortunate events that led to the match at Casement being rescheduled and ask to what lengths will stewards go to keep you in the ground. Our bog review was literally a wash out as our man’s jeans were so wet with rain he couldn’t make it to the facilities at Casement but we may have an underwear sleuth at Newry doing the business.
Sinister attempts to introduce soccer style thuggery to gaelic and athletic by some moron in Mayo. We’ll have none of that. Squareball reflects on a good week media wise with x-rated company in the Sunday Star, profile in the Sunday Tribune and best of all an RTE 2 Den presenter looking good in a hurley tee-shirt.
Championship Cojones looks at who’s up and who’s going down.
As Tyrone’s injury crises mount again we ask why do these players hate each other so much, some intriguing lines from our leader Nicky Brennan and homage to a brilliant article on John ‘Jackson’ Kiely.
We Kiss the Badge of Thurles Sarsfields and reflect on Setanta’s spat with an aussie. No word yet on the four Corkmen of the apocalypse set for suspension, as Paddy Bradley looks set to walk on water at Casement rain or no rain.
The one and only and let there be no imitation Ger Manas reflects on sports injuries including a Y front threatening hernia.
If you have difficulty with ball control and your first touch, visit a physio, get a massage and sort out your life. For everyone else, there’s Talking Balls.
Pissed-On Derry and Antrim Fans Pissed Off
As we said last week, it’s great when a good plan comes together but crap when it doesn’t. The Ulster Council must be wonderin’ who ran over the office black cat.
After putting together an attractive triple header at Casement on Sunday, they must have been mighty miffed that the weather gods decided to piss all over their plans.
Derry and Antrim supporters will probably have dried out by now but things weren’t good at Casement. An associate of Talking Balls paid out twelve quid to get in only to find out sixty seconds later the game was off. Back he went to ask for a refund. No chance. To be totally fair and to their credit the Ulster Council have made admission to the terrace free this Sunday. Talking Balls waits with bated breath to see if that will get the notoriously fickle Derry support out. Already there have been mutterings from people that were there last week who can’t get back this week. Call yourselves supporters?
Cause celebre and footballer of conscience Paddy Bradley was spotted training on Portstewart beach on Monday night with his beloved Glenullin. Reports indicated that a lack of certainty over whether he was actually allowed inside the wire at gaelic and athletic grounds led the oul fella Baker to schedule training at the Port sur! A bevy of beauties were lined up along the beach to watch the Glenullin team build sandcastles and dig moats and channels. It could have been the heat haze but at one point young Bradley appeared to actually walk across the water chasing down a beach ball.
Graham Geraghty is a Winker
Popular Meath player Graham Geraghty endeared himself further to his publics by having what RTE called a ‘Ronaldo moment’.
No, he wasn’t lounging about louchely with a skimpily clad lovely a la the Man U superstar diver. No, Geraghty had just slapped Ray Cosgrove round the ear and gave a ‘jinks the cat’ eye flutter at someone on the Meath bench to indicate the card was yellow not red. The last time Graham’s eyes fluttered at Croker was when that Aussie spun him like a top and dumped him like a piece of trash. On Sunday he was lucky to still be on the field after clearly punching David Henry in the mouth. Talking Balls also thought his goal was a clear free out mainly due to the raised elbow.
We were delighted once again that those corrupting bastards in our marketing department managed to get ref McKee to ignore a blatant Squareball thus giving Brolly, O’Rourke, Big Tohill, Spillane, Dara O Cinneide and Thrush Warbler Davis the opportunity to unwittingly give our beloved Squareball plug after plug. For good measure there were further dodgy decisions in the Longford-Laois game.
We are currently in negotiations with the PTB to have the authority for giving Squareball decisions returned to the umpires. We have prepared a series of fetching white coats with the Squareball logo on the back for consideration.
Also from the coverage of the ‘match of millennium’ last Sunday… .The pundits - O’Rourke in particular were scathing about Dublin’s pre-match ponce up to the Hill - for those who missed it he dismissed the contrivance as some sort of self affirming and reassuring gesture by the Dubs and questioned whether the likes of Heffo’s men would have needed this sort of mummy’s boys nonsense. This from the squad that has something like 35, yes thirty five, back up people. Talking Balls has arranged for a pile of Dublin blue blankies and a consignment of soft blue teddy bears for the Metropolitans to snuggle up to. We had them blooded on the Hill on Sunday to capture the smells of the Hill. Hopefully all the boys will be able to sleep well at night and Mossie Quinn won’t have any bad dreams about the frees he missed - yet again - at Croker. Alan Brogan and Conal Keaney can dream of playing in a proper forward line.
But let’s hear it again for the greatest match ever. Not a defender or tackle in sight - with the exception of Darren Fay, of course there were no Ulster teams involved.
Important Rule Change
Following representations by Dublin officials, Rule 4.2 (b) on equipment has been prorogued for the duration of the Meath v Dublin match and any further replays.
The rule states that ‘A referee shall not allow a helmet to be worn in a football game.’ It is believed that Dublin corner back David Henry will be wearing a hurling helmet when marking Graham Geraghty. It is understood the dispensation has been granted in return for Geraghty being allowed to play in the replay. No judgement was delivered on whether he will continue to be allowed to punch in the face without sanction.
Mayo - losers, not fighters
Disturbing news has reached Talking Balls of a Bebo website inviting Mayo ‘fans’ to take part in a soccer style hooligan firm.
The posting by the arseholes, states: ‘the so-far small and impotent Mayo Firm, soon to be big (in our dreams). Look at the page before matches to see where everyone will meet. Add as friend to join. No girls or anyone under 16 allowed. This is a firm for anyone who wants to support Mayo as a large organised group, sing chants and songs on the terraces, and bring the missing element of fan rivalry to GAA matches.”
Mayo is the county that Tyrone fans have utter respect for following their welcome and respectful attitude after the death of Cormac McAnallen. The county that brought us John Maughan. The county that keeps bouncing back despite being beaten round Croker with a big stick. If you are tempted to be a tosser - don’t. Keep soccer style shite out of the GAA.
Championship Cojones.
This week- going over Niagara falls with big ones or needing Viagra?
Niagara
Meath & Dublin
Great match - the hype’s not your fault. Play it again cos you won’t see Sam.
Kerry
You have to turn up and bate what’s in front of ye.
Laois
Big rough boys do the business
James Masters
Masters bates all round the place as Cork walk on.
Louth and Wicklow
Day out in Croker can’t do anyone harm.
Viagra
Luke Dempsey
Lamb in sheep’s clothing
RTE and CCC
Sort the schedules out lads. Ever heard of plan B?
Waterford footballers
The bubble bursts - surely the Tommy Murphy is better than a kick in the hole?
Tyrone injuries
Some of this may be bullshit for the media but are these fellas for real?
Paddy Bradley
If you did the crime can you do the time. Forget the fancy footwork and legal eagles. What about right and wrong?
Waterford Walloped but Jackson Remains a Legend
Regular aficionados will know that Talking Balls has been tracking the fortunes of Waterford supreme John ‘Jackson’ Kiely and his charges over the last few weeks. The dream ended today as the Deccies footballers finally dropped into the Tommy Cooper at the hands of Kerry. Hardly did either team much good other than give the fans at Fraher’s Field an up close look at the Kerry stars and an opportunity to count the Kingdom’s travelling support.
The Sunday Tribune this week published a superb piece on Jackson Kiely we have linked it here to give you a treat. Read it and weep laughing. And no, Jackson is not related to Ger Manas but we have to admit they share many views and ideals. A taster or two:
“I didn’t enjoy the ride from Abbeyside to here though because we had a character on the team and he was langered and I was holding on to him because he wanted to jump off the bus.
And:
“I was with my own club, Kilrosanty, just down the road from here. It would be one of the oldest clubs in Ireland, dating back to 1885, actually. We’d have a junior hurling match every year. The fella that was over our hurling team would drive along in this car with the bag of hurleys in the back and they’d be all cobwebs because they hadn’t been used since the year before. He’d be roaring at the lads, ‘Don’t yis be leanin’ on them, yis will break them and we haven’t anymore’. He wasn’t lying. One day we were playing Ballinameele and one guy broke the hurley so we had to play on with 14.”
For the full article:
http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_scope=Tribune/Sport/GAA&id=70121&SUBCAT=Tribune/Sport
PS Thanks to the Tribune lads for running a piece on Squareball - maith thú Enda and Kieran.
The Highest Form of Flattery…
Talking Balls is delighted to learn that some of our ideas have been copied elsewhere.
But. remember - a warning. As Ger Manas says ‘Imitation, imitation, imitation… don’t waste yer time thinking for yourself - get some other bollix to do it for you. But learn from the Japanesers - do it better - or as they say - you’ll wook a lanker.”
Cora Staunton Cliché Peile
Mayo ladies football legend Cora Staunton can fair run off the clichés When she has to. Obviously the lassie’s done well. After winning a gong for being the best Ladies footballer she said:
“It’s great to win an award like this having just won the National League title. It was nice to get the Player of the Match award for the final but these games are all about the team performance. I am delighted to receive this award on the back of our National Football League success as winning national titles is what it is all about.”
And so say all of us.
Throwing away a half time lead - that’s just plain stupid.
Nicky’s World
After a deafening silence. He’s back. Talking Balls asks are you talking to me? If you are what the hell are you talking about? Nicky Brennan, de fluer is yuers:
“It is a serious test. That is a fair point but, at the same time, I don’t want to prejudge. You can over-dramatise the thing and I don’t want to say anything that would be deemed to be prejudicial to the case coming up but it would be naive to say that this wasn’t of some importance.”
Literally since we wrote this we have forgotten what it’s about…
Nicky went on to tell Michel Platini to go and shite or ‘fair une grande merde’ (in so many words). On the Champions League final, metaphor mixed-up Nickey said “dead fish don’t sprint” or something to that effect. “That is dead in the water. It won’t even get out of the starting blocks. Some journalist was obviously in a bad way for a story yesterday and said ‘what will I write about today?’ It will not be happening. The rule passed by Congress was for the Irish teams to make use of Croke Park for the period while Lansdowne Road was out of use, or words to that effect. That will last until roughly 2009-10. The rule will then revert back to its original status so this only people looking to come up with a headline.”
Or words to that effect? What does that mean?
Nicky, we love you, Nicky we do, and when you’re far away we think of you. And someday when we’re older we’ll look back and say…
And on a busy day for an Uachtarain, while he was at it he issued the definitive line on Graham Geraghty:
“The situation with Graham Geraghty is that the CCC has considered the matter and will not be taking it any further,” our leader explained. “If you look back at the TV, he was booked in relation to the Cosgrove incident. In relation to the other incidents, there was a free given against Geraghty on all occasions.”
Pontius Pilate couldn’t have put it better.
Murphy’s Law doesn’t Convince Jackson
Talking Balls pin up ‘Jackson’ Kiely has is worried that Waterford footballers may not be able to keep their team together to compete in the Tommy Murphy Cup.
“We deserve better than to have to think whether to play in the Tommy Murphy Cup. Tommy Murphy was a nice fella and it’s great to see that they have a cup named in his honour but I’m not sure at this stage whether Waterford will take their chance in it,” Kiely said.
“We went out of the championship on the first Sunday in June and we might not be out in the Murphy Cup until the middle of July, that’s too long of a gap. Lads have to go back to their clubs and it is now difficult to get them for collective training.
“You have to look at the finances involved and does it make sense to keep the whole thing going for the Tommy Murphy Cup? I know a trip to America is not to be sneezed at, but it is not fair on the weaker counties.
“I know some of those involved in changing the football championship and they are good guys, but we always looked forward to the qualifier game. Now we are into the Tommy Murphy Cup, and if its winner had been allowed back into the championship it wouldn’t have been so bad, but that is not the case.”
Fair enough, but to let the winner back in after a bit of success to get their arse kicked by some of the bigger guns may be a case of two steps forward and one step back. Then if you are a throwback that’s less of an issue?
Setanta Bursts Aussie Thanks be to Jasus
Wayward Cork hurling Messiah showed he’s more than just a big ride for the ladies by bating the shite out of a deserving aussie (aren’t they all). Reports suggest he had been up all night watching videos of Graham Geraghty and Talking Balls fans fave Natalie Imbroglio. The aussie he levered was some twat called Ackland. His coach (David?) Icke dismissed the whole thing.
“That’s what you want isn’t it?” Icke told the Herald Sun. “I reckon it is fantastic that the blokes take training that seriously. Ideally, you wouldn’t want every player punching on with their team-mates but occasionally that sort of stuff is not a bad thing. No-one got hurt, which is the important thing, and they kissed and made up at the end of the session.” Is he calling one of our Ó hAilpíns a homo? The mother born in Fiji, the father born in Fermanagh, neither known for their gay community?
And this is the same fella that got thrown out of a pub in Omagh because the bar staff thought he and big bro Sean Óg were soldiers on a night out from the army camp.
Come back Setanta - Cork needs you, hurling needs you, Irish womanhood has an aching emptiness, so come back… plus there’s a few gaps in the Rebels’ team for Sunday week.
A Good Heart These Days is Hard to Find
Why do Tyrone players hate each other so much? Like the dog that can lick his own balls the answer is ‘because they can’. Never in the history of mankind has one group of players, to whom a county owe so much, received so little protection from so many, for so long. The roll of shame of county players injured in club games: McGinley, Canavan, Cavanagh, McGuigan, McGuigan, Gormley, O’Neill, Gormley, McMahon, Mulligan, Mulgrew, Cavlan and O’Neill again and again, Penrose; suspended in club games Mellon, Cavlan, McAnallen. These are only the ones we can think of. Mickey Harte proves himself surprisingly accommodating. Is it because he is a true gaelic and athletic person or he is viewing the exit door? Mickey says:
‘I’m happy to try and work as well as possible with both scenes, and as long as we get sufficient time to prepare for our important games, I would be very open to giving the clubs sufficient time to prepare for their important games.
‘So I think it’s a two-way process. I think it’s important that the county takes consideration of the club scene, and equally, there’s an onus on club players and club structures to appreciate that your county players have to be protected as far as possible, within the rules of the game.
‘We don’t expect to get special or preferential treatment, but we don’t expect the players to get special treatment either of the nasty kind. It’s difficult to get the perfect answer to it. Some people cut out club football, or cut the county players out of football altogether, which I think is not right. Others, like ourselves, try to accommodate the clubs as much as possible. And if, in the middle of that accommodation, some of your players are targeted unnecessarily, then that’s not very helpful either.’
No Mickey it’s not very helpful when, of the two lads that contributed 0-7 out of the O’Neill County’s total last day out, one is sitting at home drinking complan through a straw, the other is giving the elder brother a live commentary on what’s going on the telly because he maybe can’t see it that well.
From the media…
Blowback Against the Breeze
Ace Irish News reporter Paddy Heaney drew attention to the retentive practices of some of the gatemen at Casement on Sunday when they refused admission to an car mechanic fella Mr Heaney knows from home - the sort of guy that stands at matches and makes acerbic but accurate comments on the skills of the latest young thing. The mechanic had won tickets in an Irish News/Bank of Ireland promotion. This in turn prompted a rather corporate and official sounding reply from Mr McKenna from the Bank of Ireland’s marketing wing. All very good points Colum but the oul lad from Maghera or wherever that won the prize still didn’t get into the match did he? We love written statements.
Croke Park to Learn from Casement Lock in
Again from that trusty warrior that is the Irish News - a correspondent to fans forum Off the Fence drew attention to the rather bizarre practice at Casement of locking people in the ground (meanwhile the keyholder goes off for a fag, a slash or whatever he does). Yes, Talking Balls has been forced to stay in Casement due to this ruling. They even did this a couple of weeks back when Derry played Down in the hurling replay and the twenty people at the game were throwing themselves over the wire to get out. It might be an answer to the long standing problems at Croker - get the Dubs in on Sunday week and lock them in for the rest of the summer. Only two problems with that - one the rest of the summer might be cancelled for the boys in blue if Meath turn up - and two: imagine the state of the place after them fellas have been there a while.
The Accidental Hoorist
Ger Manas has seen his fair share of injuries - some self inflicted, some the result of domestic accidents and others incurred fighting for club and county in nightspots the length and breadth of the country. Famously he left a All Ireland club winning side on the brink of Croker by declaring to a pampered but brittle prima donna there were no such f***in things as hamstrings and crucial ligaments in my day you wet piece of f***in shite wipe. As usual, pulling fast and furious - Ger gives it out straight.
I’ve managed many’s a shower of useless hoors in my day and I’ve no complaints if a man tries his best and is still shite. But ye see these boys that start getting injured as soon as they step near a county squad - they can go to thon place. I was up there with Jody Gormley there on Sunday. Jody’s some boy now. When he was training Down in preparation for playing Tyrone he took them out for a road run and then ran past them all shouting ‘see how it feels when a Tyrone man runs past ye. This is what it’ll be like in Omagh.’ My kine of man. Well last Sunday, he took Antrim out for a four mile run down the Falls, up the Shankill, though peace lines and the like - all this on the morning of the match. The boys sang that Woody Guthrie song the whole way - ‘This land is our land’. The tears were tripping me - I wasn’t running - we were in a sponsored jeep driving along behind with Al Pacino blaring out the top. Some speech that boy gave - when I first heard them talking about the Inches film I thought they were talking about something else and I was thinking jaze hope the wife doesn’t get to hear about this.
Anyway it was all in vain because it was pissin’ at Casement and the ref pulled the plug. The water was lying all over the place. Reminded me onetime I was working with Leitrim and we played Tyrone in Carrick. It was bucketing and I remember these useless bollixes of firemen with their helmets on scooping up buckets of water and pouring it out at the side of the field. Course it ran back in again. Ended up that night on an oul boat floatin’ up and down the Shannon called Moon River. Me back teeth were floatin’ too I’d that much Powers.
I see thon Tommy McGuigan’s busted his wrist and the other fella for Tyrone has a busted jaw. Now I dunno what happened there but there’s only four things can bust a man’s jaw - a fist, a knee, an elbow - or his own mouth. If it was me I’d kick the livin’ shite out of the fella done that. Then the next I hear is young Brian’s brother has busted his wrist. Tyrone’s a wild place - them county men get killed playin for the clubs. Men can get hurt out on the beer too as you know. I got a call one night to go to the barracks. Our full forward - a big galoot of a fella called ‘James the Hames’ - was sitting there full as a gypsy’s tit and as low too. The big Guard - good fella now called Brian O’Brian - played for us as well. The boys used to slag him about the girl friend saying to him Brian Ohhhh Brian… He sez to me “James has busted a man’s jaw in The Golden Fleece and the fella’s for pressing charges, but,” sez he, “if you can chat to him and talk some sense we might be able to sort something out. The problem is he’s admitted it.”
Well now, James was langered altogether. I sez to him. “James, why did you hit him?” He sez: “He was lookin at me.”
End of story. Big fine. Scored 3-1 in the championship tho’.
The problem nowadays with fellas is they’re too soft and they watch too much telly. Them soccer players have a lot to answer for. Their training is shite - they jog about rolling a few of them balls around the place. A fella in our club - a soccer man started telling me there how the lads could be fitter - as if he was running with a f***in squad of greyhounds. I sez to him “Sure as our bull’s got a bag like a bulldozer, your soccer men are yella useless hoors.” I remembered talking to Larry Tompkins after he was over at Man United for while. They thought he was a looper altogether he was that fit. Big Tohill was at Old Trafford too - he toul us that David Beckham put on deodorant before training so he smelled good - what did he think Gary Neville was going to ride him or something?
I’ll tell you, I’ve seen men split, seen bones stickin’ out and stickin in. One time we had to tie a man’s leg in a splint with a boy’s sock - I was nearly sick at the smell. The answer tho’ is real players know when their injured and when they’re better. One fella says to me last week “I bumped me knee.” “F***’s sake. “I got home and me grandson says and him crying: “Granda - I bumped me knee”.
The difference - twenty one years.
I got a hernia once - was the rarest looking thing. I remember them tennis women at Wimbledon use to stick balls down their drawers - that’s what it looked like except like I wasn’t wearing a skirt. One fella dislocated his finger last week - another man near pulled it off him - you’re not allowed to put them back in on the sideline anymore. Used to be fierce craic that. Anyway, it turned out it was broken in three places. I saw a man dislocate his nose once - that’s not good - he looked like the f***in elephant man - there was a bit under his eye.
The daughter’s youngster is going out to Africa soon to build houses for that Habitat for Humanity. I was going to ask them any chance of building a club I know a set of dressing rooms but that would be habitat for inhumanity knowing the lads that train their senior teams. Anyway, if you see them Habitat boxes throw a few euro in. Everyone needs a roof - even it does leak from time to time.
Kissing the Badge
This week, hurling legends from Tipp - where else - Thurles Sarsfields. ‘Through the Thatch.’
Thurles has had a tradition of hurling as far back as the early half of the 18th century when an early patron of the town, Lord Matthew, Earl of Llandaff, had his own private team. Games were played between competing Earls of the time with Thurles noted for being a strong outfit. This may give an indication to the success of Thurles Sarsfields since its foundation.
With the foundation of the GAA in 1884, Gaelic Games were accorded an organisation and a focal point in the town of Thurles. As with many clubs in Tipperary at the time, records do not reveal the exact date and location of the foundation of the club, but tradition gives the year of its inception sometime around 1885. It is thought the club is a descendant of a football club called “Thurles St. Patrick’s”. Certainly, the Cashel Sentinel lists Thurles as being affiliated to the GAA in 1885, with Hugh Ryan, James Butler and Denis Maher elected as the first president, secretary and treasurer of the club.
The first major contribution of the club was to organise the famous Gaelic Tournament on Easter Sunday, 1886. This was a red letter day for Thurles and it marked an epoch in the history of the GAA. The town had been given the honour of bringing forth the Association in 1884, and Easter Sunday, 1886 was the day of its baptism. The tournament organising committee was Hugh Ryan, Andy Callanan, Denis Maher, James Stapleton, John Gleeson and James Butler, all officers of the Thurles club.
‘Through the Thatch’
The sportsgear worn by members of Thurles Sarsfields GAA Club has, for some time now, included a crest containing the legend ‘Thro’ the Thatch’ and the words G.A.A., Thurles.
The origin of the legend dates back to the eighteenth century a time when hurling in the mid Tipperary area was flourishing mainly due to its association with the landed gentry. They were openly and actively involved in the hurling as players, team captains, trainers and powerful patrons. The newspapers of the time leave us in no doubt as to the influence of the landlords and the popularity of hurling, with several references to games played at Brittas, Thurles, Galbertstown, Loughmore etc.
Baron Purcell of Loughmore had his own private team with their hurling field beside his castle. in Thurles Lord Matthew, Earl of Llandaff, whose residence was in the town, also had his own celebrated team of hurlers of which he was justifiably proud. In a hurling match between teams of both of these great hurling patrons, one of the most famous of the Thurles team struck the ball with such force that it went clean through the thatch of a nearby cottage and broke several of the kitchen utensils inside. Ever since then ‘Thro’ the Thatch’ has been a rallying cry for many a Thurles team.
As a crest it was to be seen on the jerseys of the old Thurles “Blues” captained so successfully by Tom Semple in the first decade of the last century. Large numbers of supporters also wore a printed cardboard badge similar to the crest. Luckily a few of these badges have survived to the present day and are treasured memorabilia of that bygone era. Principal designer of the crest was Sarsfields club secretary of that time - J.M. Kennedy. He was Thurles Town Clerk and he later compiled - A Chronology of Thurles (1945).
Recent Success
After a fallow period, Thurles Sarsfields finally achieved their quest for glory in 2005 with Dan Breen returning home in the hands of Ger “Redser” O’Grady. Sarsfields also made a first foray since 1974 into the AIB Munster Club Championship, bowing out at the semi-final stage to Newtownshandrum.
With exciting redevelopment plans in the pipeline for the club, that includes new pitches, a ball alley, new dressing rooms, bar facilities etc, the club seems to be going from strength-to-strength in its bid to become Tipperary’s premier club again. Hopefully victory in the 2005 county final will only be start of another successful chapter for the club as it tries to maintain the high standards set over the past 121 years of its existence.
Talking Balls Link: http://thurlessarsfields.tipperary.gaa.ie/clubhistory.html
Do you slaughter a goat before every home match, is every first born male son in your parish selected as your freetaker or is your badge the story of an ancient battle over women and drink. If your club has a story worth retelling, let us know.
Not yer man
An alternative look at well known names in our national games.
This week the mercurial, Michael Donnellan.
Micheal Donnellan is most well known for participating in CBS’s Big Brother 6 in 2005. He was born in Paris. Michael attended school initially in Italy but learned to speak both Italian and French. Michael later went to school in Bearing, West Sussex, England where he learned to speak English. For high school, Michael attended the International School of Choueisat in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. For college, Michael started at the University of California at Berkeley but withdrew after two semesters.
After dropping out of Berkeley, he worked for a time with Giorgia Armani as a fashion model, However; Michael abandoned this career to focus on his art work. Prior to BB6, Michael earned a living doing 3-D computer graphics for film companies, but is now focused on his art which can be seen at www.michaeldonnellan.com.