I'm from a small Irish family of 10, so there always was music in the house. Growing up, my older sisters had things like 'South Pacific' and opera on.

Eighty per cent of my time is spent on paperwork, hiring musicians, putting bands together, setting up concerts, and 20 per cent is spent on the music. That's the part that you really enjoy, but you can't afford to spend 80 per cent on your music; otherwise, it's not going to happen.

I remember, I was doing 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in London in the early '70s, and friends of mine had come over from Dublin, and they're knocking on the stage door after the show saying, 'Colm, come on, let's go for a drink.' I knew that if I went with them, I wouldn't be able to do my job the next day.

I grew up in a very musical family, but music was not encouraged as a career. It was a hobby.

The career isn't guaranteed for as long as you might want to play.

To get the Nickelodeon award? That's like 'it.' It's one of the best. It's definitely where you want to be in your career.

When I started acting, I didn't think of it as a career. I always thought Hollywood was this magical world where a fairy came down and said, 'Come live with the Munchkins; you are now one of us.' I didn't understand the concept of it as a career. I thought I would save up enough money to go to college.

I looked on child rearing not only as a work of love and duty but as a profession that was fully as interesting and challenging as any honorable profession in the world and one that demanded the best that I could bring to it.