Born in Belfast, County Antrim, Tony is the eldest of six children. He grew up through his teenage years in the war zone that was Belfast throughout the 'Troubles'. He began teaching in 1978 and got married in 1980. He has three children and three grandchildren. In 2006 he left his role as Vice Principal of a large Belfast school to become the Director of Education for a religious organisation in Dublin. He also became a Director of an International NGO based in Geneva. He has travelled extensively in Europe; also visiting Australia, America, India and Africa. After 10 years working throughout Ireland, he retired to spend more time with his family. His home is in Belfast but his heart is in Donegal. He built a small house in the Gaeltacht in 2000 where the family have immersed themselves in the community and lifestyle of the area. Tony has a boat which can be regularly seen visiting the islands off West Donegal and travelling along the Atlantic coast. In retirement Tony took up writing stories from his youth and developed his love and ability for drawing. In 2019 he began painting in the style of artists he liked. Tony is a self-taught artist and has learnt directly from artist friends.