D itching accountancy to go back to college music to Andrew’s ears
A DUBLIN man who swapped his calculator for a synthesizer says he now “loves every single day” in college.
For 27 years, Andrew Bonehill (48), from Clonsilla, Dublin, worked as an accountant until a health scare, combined with encouragement from his wife, led to him returning to his true love of producing and composing music.
“I have completed three years now of my course in production of music and audio at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and every day I am here is like a holiday,” he said.
“When I was a kid and teenager, I was obsessed with music. I was in bands, I used to write music, I was in studios recording, and then when I had just turned 18 I was appointed musical director for our school production of ‘Animal Farm’.”
He did his Leaving Cert in 1988 and said he ended up in an accountancy practice that needed a couple of trainees.
He went on to have a successful career, culminating in running his own practice with offices in Dublin and Birmingham.
“I ended up working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It gets to you, and I ended up going to my doctor who said I needed an operation on my heart and then, after it, I had no choice but to go straight back to work two days later.
“My wife, Rachel, was like, ‘You won’t see 50 if you keep it up’.”
Mr Bonehill had built a small project studio at the bottom of his garden and in it were his old synthesizers and mixing desk but he rarely got to use them.
When their daughter Caoimhe visited DkIT during her Leaving Cert year, he went along as well and liked what he saw.
With Rachel’s encouragement, he applied and secured a place on the course.
“The night before I began my first year, my daughter asked was I nervous, was I scared?
“I said the only thing that scares me is the thought of doing accountancy for another 20 years – the fact I don’t have to do it is great.”