Mr. Michael Gallagher - BLS Class of 1973
Mike is a native of Sheraden, in the west end of Pittsburgh, and he literally grew up in the shadow of Holy Innocents Church where he and his family are still members. Always an active Catholic, Mike serves on the pastoral council there as well as putting his fine singing voice to great use as a cantor.
Following his studies at the Latin School, Mike graduated from the University of Pittsburgh while majoring in English and Philosophy. All the while, he continued to contemplate a possible vocation to the ministerial priesthood.
He met Marlea Givens in 1976 and after four years his heart made his decision for him as he married the love of his life in 1980. Thirty-two years later, their pride and joy are their four children: Brendan, Daniel, John Morgan and Mary Kate. Son Daniel is currently in Rome studying as a seminarian for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Regarding his career history, Mike worked for several years in the charter department of the Gateway Clipper Fleet. He later was given an opportunity to work for a start-up company in the alternative fuels field, CTI Biofuels. Working with innovative technologies developed at Carnegie Mellon University, the company had initial success until it was a victim of the 2008 market collapse. Mike worked in a temporary position for the Diocese of Pittsburgh with the Director of Stewardship, B.L.S.' own Pat Joyce '67. In this job he helped to implement new initiatives by Bishop Zubik that will help secure the future of the Church in Pittsburgh. Just this spring, Mike embarked on another new position with a start-up known as Earthwater Technologies, a water exploration and development company.
But music has always been Mike Gallagher's claim to fame as he comes from a musical background. His father, John, used to sing on WWSW radio during the depression. Mike himself is one of eight children and almost all of his brothers and sisters have been cantors in their own parishes! In addition to his duties cantoring at our annual Cardinal Wright Vocations Mass, Mike can be found singing and playing his guitar in many local clubs in Pittsburgh. He has performed at the Three Rivers Arts Festival, the Pittsburgh Irish Festival and at various colleges and universities across Southwestern Pennsylvania. He's also had many radio appearances on KDKA-AM and WYEP-FM. He's also sung on Diane Byrnes' "Echoes of Erin" show on WEDO-AM. Maybe if we're lucky, he might even sing a song at our awards dinner!
Mike's original works draw upon the influences of both American roots music as well as Celtic traditions. A master of the Irish ballad as well as haunting love songs, Mike has established himself as an entertainer who brings emotion, humor and spirit to every performance. The B.L.S. Alumni Association can also attest to this as he has sung and played his guitar for us at our Vocations Mass for many years. Known primarily for performing Irish and Scottish folk music, Mike has been a musical presence throughout the Tri-State area for several decades. He also specializes in contemporary acoustic music and songwriting and has several recordings to his credit. His discography includes: "Allegheny...Home", "Tomorrow is a Road", "St. Patrick's Day", "Dancin' on the Earth" and "The Michael Gallagher Collection". His latest release, "Saints & Scholars" is a masterful collection collection of original, contemporary and traditional Irish tunes. Mike co-produced this song with Al Snyder of the Corbin-Hanner Band.
The alumni association wishes to congratulate this lifelong Catholic role model, husband, father and entertainer... a most worthy recipient of the 2012 Cardinal Wright Award!
