A talented Derry busker is attracting attention for his busking videos with his unusual instrument - and people simply can't get enough.
Micheal O'Dalaigh, 28, who is originally from Strabane, has been busking in the city since last year.
The local busker began gaining attention when he started playing his Handpan drum in the city centre in April 2021.
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We met up with Michael last month to showcase his talents online.
Now, after gaining over 100,000 views on Facebook, Michael said "he couldn't believe" the attention the video had managed to attract.
Speaking to this MyDerry , Michael explained how his love for music came from humble beginnings.
"My passion for music, believe it or not, truly started after seeing the movie School Of Rock! starring Jack Black in the cinema in 2004," Michael laughed.
"The movie highlighted for my younger self how genuine musical artists use music and that it can be a way of expressing and communicating in higher forms what we are passionate about and through that expression.
"I am passionate about busking because it is not just a means to make extra money through playing music.
"I feel there is many that do think about it this way and while musicians will busk to make extra money, to say it is the only purpose it is serving is a misconception.
"I read most of the comments on the live video interview taken of me on the Belfast Live Facebook page, and many were saying we need more Buskers locally in our towns and cities.
"Many have also stopped me in the streets and said the Handpan’s sound is relaxing, therapeutic and has the potential for emotional healing and puts us in better spirits, some have even shared stories with me about their emotional pain which is amazing the effect the music had on them to open up to a stranger like that."
Meanwhile, Michael said he was first introduced to the Handpan drum back in 2018 and how he "fell in love with it".
He added: "I first heard one live at a retreat I was at in the Netherlands in July 2018 and I fell in love with it there and then. I acquired one myself then in August 2019.
"The Handpan or originally named the ‘Hang’ was constructed in Switzerland in the year 2000 by Felix Rohner and Sabina Scharer of company PanArt.
"Many different kinds have now been engineered by different companies with unique names and signature sounds, for example, mines is from a French company and it is called the Spacedrum model, it is known for its resonances and atmosphere sound, there are still no makers in Ireland."
The father-of-one said busking had given him "more opportunities than ever before" and dedicated patience and hard work to his success.
"I did work in a service station and a factory before that up until the end of October but then decided to put all the free time I have into my musical aspirations, after my parental responsibilities to my seven-year-old daughter to whom I have shared custody off every weekend, and I have never looked back.
"Busking has been how I got these other opportunities, by performing my talent in a way which could be seen by the public and patiently and happily keeping that up.
"I have performed on the streets now in Derry, Coleraine, Omagh, Belfast, Ballybofey, Dublin and once in Strabane. I would love to travel round in a camper-van performing all over the Island."
Meanwhile, he hopes to take his music to the "next level" in the coming months and has huge plans for the future.
"I plan to continue to create, produce and publish original music independently and uniquely blend as many different instruments and styles as I can while keeping it sounding well and structured.
"As well as this I plan to further my knowledge in Sound-Wave healing and to eventually start setting up my own retreats with fellow holistic healing practitioners of all modalities."
You can check out Michael's Youtube HERE and Facebook page HERE.
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