As many of you will know, this website was originally one advertising Mick’s work as a drystane dyker. He was very proud of both his work and the original website and hopefully he would feel this redesigned site is a fitting tribute to him.

The aim is that the site will be a fun place to visit, obviously we will want to leave tributes to Mick, which show how much he meant to so many people, but as well as that share a funny story or a great photo (there must be loads out there!) and lets all have a giggle, the way Mick would have wanted.

Michael was born in Dumfries on 13th July 1964. His mum and dad, Maureen and John already had three children, Michelle, John and Beverley and a couple of years later his little brother William arrived. He also decided he would “adopt” Erika his first niece as his little sister and they became the best of friends.  He attended St Theresa’s Primary School from 1969 until 1976, and then Maxwellton High School until 1980. Over the years Michael became better known as “Mike “ or “Mick” and earned the reputation of being a hardworking and hard partying guy. He became a doting father to Stefan and Jade and a much loved uncle to Julie, Sammie-Jo, Johnny, Chantelle, Chareece, Caitlin and Jak. His newest nieces Abbie and Mika sadly didn’t get to meet him but their families are making sure they learn all about him. 

Work
Around 1990 Mick started work as a labourer/driver for a friends brother who was a dyker and through time picked up the skills and became a dyker himself. From day one he loved it and knew he had discovered his vocation in life. Initially the majority of his work was for farmers using drystane dykes as boundaries throughout their land. The dykes could either be already existing in need of being rebuilt or built from scratch. Later, Mick expanded his knowledge and skills and  enjoyed taking on more decorative dyking jobs. Over the years Mick became highly skilled in his work and as a result was always in demand. He took huge pride in his work and was one of few people who could truthfully say he loved his job, thinking nothing of travelling hundreds of miles in the process. He rightly earned himself an excellent reputation and his existing work will be enjoyed by many people for years to come.

Army
On 26th July 1984, having just turned 20, Mick joined the Kings Own Scottish Borderers regiment of the British Army. During his three years service he served once in Berlin, twice in Northern Ireland, as well as in Britain. On leaving the Army his commanding officer described him as “a reliable young man who sets a high example” and “who lets nothing affect his humour, resilience or enthusiasm”.

Celtic
One of Mick’s first loves was Celtic Football Club. From a young age he tirelessly supported his beloved team attending the matches firstly with his dad and then with his mates and kids. When he was a young boy he was chosen to become the mascot at a home match, getting to meet many of his heroes. One of his highlights was travelling to Seville in May 2003 with Steff and Tommy to soak up the atmosphere surrounding the UEFA cup final in which Celtic played FC Porto. Unfortunately Celtic could only manage the runner up spot but this did not dampen the spirits of the travelling Celtic fans, and everyone still had a whale of a time.