How agreeable are you?
Very. Very agreeable. I’ll always listen to people’s stories and take on what they say. I’m a very flexible and open-minded person.
What’s your middle name and what do you think of it?
My middle name is Austin, that was my grandfather’s name. When I was born, Michael was one of my grandfathers, the other one was Austin. So they had to pick which one would go first. I’m delighted they picked Austin for my middle name. Mattress Austin doesn’t sound right!
Where is your favourite place in Ireland?
Kinsale, Co Cork. I love the restaurants, the bars, where it’s located, not too far from Cork city. I stay with friends down there and I go down there quite frequently.
Describe yourself in three words.
I’m kind, I’m sincere and I’m a very jolly person.
When did you last get angry?
I can’t really remember because I don’t get angry very easily. I get annoyed more so than angry with people and people’s comments, but anger doesn’t come into my way of life.
What have you lost that you would like to have back?
I lost my wife, Margaret, last year and I would love to have her back. She died of cancer in February 2023. We were together 40 years.
What’s your strongest childhood memory?
I remember my dad driving me in his Morris Minor car to an ice-cream parlour, a place called Teddy’s in Dún Laoghaire. I was very young at the time. We were living in Pearse Street and Dún Laoghaire at that time was miles and miles away.
Where do you come in your family’s birth order, and has this defined you?
I’m in the eldest. I’m approaching my 70s. I did have two sisters and one brother. One brother and one sister have passed. I didn’t mind being the eldest. My father passed when he was 47 and I was 20, so I looked after them all. We had a shop in Pearse Street, a drapery, and I was working in a bank at the time. I left to look after the family and the business.
What do you expect to happen when you die?
I believe there is another world. I believe I will meet all the people I knew. I genuinely think their spirits are out there if you try to connect with them. When they open the gates of heaven I’ll see my whole family, and I’d like to meet Elvis Presley. I hope he’s up there.
When were you happiest?
During my married life I was extremely happy.
Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?
Colin Farrell. I think he’s great, a brilliant actor and he’s an Irish man.
What’s your biggest career/personal regret?
I’m sorry I didn’t buy a property abroad in Spain many years ago. I was offered them and I never took up the offer. I’m sorry that I only created the Mattress Mick concept in the last 13 years. I wish he was 23 and not 13!
Have you any psychological quirks?
I don’t like being told what to do. I wouldn’t like to have a boss, I like to be the boss. I think it’s in my family’s blood to be self-employed.
Mattress Mick the Musical is at the Barbican Theatre in Drogheda, Co Louth from August 16th-18th
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis
