He left home just as soon as he was able to put on his wellies by himself and settled down to a carefree existence characterised by the ancient Irish tradition of 'The Trotting of the Bogs'. He eventually wound up at Queen's University, Belfast, having had many adventures along the way, involving Red, White and Blue Indians, Paul Klee, spuds, more spuds, even more spuds, and The Great Pink-Spotted Potato Famine of 1966. It was at University that he started writing poetry, and he managed to get published by Fibber and Fibber while still an undergraduate. While there he was introduced by noted redneck teacher Jerry Hicks to Seamus Heaney with the memorable and possibly immortal line "This is Paul, my pet budgie."