From travelling in a tour bus with Madness to living in Sweden, life has certainly been interesting for Ger Mulkerrins. And with the latest Spirit of Voice festival about to begin, that isn't about to change.

London-born Ger has had a career in the music industry that has spanned over 30 years but originally he had planned to be a professional footballer. At a child, he played soccer with Watford but stopped when he realised he "just wasn't good enough". Instead he turned his attention to music and film and began working with Ogilvy Mather Advertising as a technician, making television and radio ads.

By the late eighties, Ger had made the decision to "go corporate" and began working as a cinema manager with EMI. During this time, cinema in England was undergoing major changes and Ger was instrumental in the introduction of "all night flix show" in the country's cinemas.

But rather than settling with cinema, by 1982 Ger had moved to sound engineering at the infamous Zap club in Brighton, where he met a lot of famous artists of the time. He then moved back to London for the 'summer of love' where he worked for many mainstream companies as a sound engineer and toured the globe.

During the late 80s and early 90s, Ger moved back to London and set up the Red Lemon company, producing pop videos for many television companies, including MTV. After moving to Sweden for a year, Ger returned to London where he concentrated on another of his talents, painting, and sold out three shows with his colourful modern art pieces.

In 1993, he returned to Ireland planning to continue with his painting. His dad, who sadly passed away recently, was originally from Connemara and that was where Ger decided to settle. After taking a year out to restore his grandmother's house and start a family, Ger returned to work undertaking projects with local group West 1 studios and Roger Colman films in Spiddal.

Around this time, Ger's daughter Isabelle was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and this prompted the family to return to Sweden where care for the illness was much more advanced. After Isabelle underwent life saving treatment for her condition, they returned to Connemara and Ger set to work on his next project, a play called 'Made in Heaven', based on a modern day version of Jesus's birth based in Connemara. The play was a success, even going so far as to claim a national NAIB award.

In 2004, Ger paid a visit to France and what he experienced inspired him to set up a new festival for Galway: Spirit of Voice.

"I went to mass and heard this choir, who were amazing. I realised that Galway had this wealth of talented vocalists and there wasn't really any outlet for them. So when I came back, I organised a night in the cathedral with classical choirs, poets and even a rap group. It was a huge success and the crowd enjoyed all the acts, even though it wasn't what they would have been used to listening to, and Spirit of Voice grew from there!" says Ger.

This year's festival, which has been dedicated to Ger's late father Martin, features Rónán O Snodaigh, founding member of K?la, as well as a host of singers, poets and storytellers. Spirit of Voice will take place over four days from Thursday 8 to Saturday 11 November, with events taking place at many city venues, including the Rowing Club in Woodquay and The Crane Bar on Sea Road.

For more information on the festival, check out www.spiritofvoice.com.

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