Born and reared in Mallow Co. Cork, Michael later moved to Belfast, before proceeding on to Newark Art College, and finally emigrating to Australia in 1966. Michael worked closely with well known Australian artist Leonard Long. Much influenced by Long, Michael explored the continent, painting the Australian landscape and exhibiting widely, including one-man shows in Sydney. In 1992, he was invited to be ‘artist in residence’ with the US forest service, in California. Michael returned to Ireland 12 years ago and continues to exhibit widely. His work is displayed in Government House Sydney, Allied Irish Merchant Bank, The Bank of America, and in many private and corporate collections around the world.