From fighting the man to health battle: Godfather of Northern Irish punk Terri Hooley hails his hospital heroes as he faces dialysis struggle

The owner of record shop and label Good Vibrations, home of the first releases from bands such as the Undertones, Protex and the Outcasts, saw his story made into a hit film named after his old business in 2012.

Now aged 77, he’s undergoing dialysis at the Ulster Hospital as he fights renovascular disease – a condition that affects blood flow to the kidneys by narrowing arteries that supply them, which can lead to serious damage.

He’s been forced to cut back on his work as a DJ as a result, going from flying to festivals around the world to heading to the hospital’s renal unit three times a week.

But the ‘Hooleygan’, to steal the title of his memoirs, is quick to praise the medical staff helping him through his battle. Indeed, he said he sees them so often he feels they’re part of his extended family.

“I think they are all wonderful,” he said. “The care I have received has been outstanding and we always have a bit of a laugh together.

“When you are attending hospital several times a week, those relationships become really important. The staff do not just provide treatment, they provide encouragement, kindness and reassurance.

“They are my heroes.”

Terri’s kidney diagnosis came soon after he spent three months in hospital with a heart condition and pneumonia. “I joked that I felt like I had a loyalty card,” he said.

But he admitted his health battle was at first a tough pill to swallow, saying he “cried for three days” after he was told he’d had a heart attack and had contracted pneumonia.

“Then one night I became seriously ill and was told that if I had not already been in hospital, I probably would not have survived long enough for an ambulance to reach me,” he revealed.

“That was a turning point for me. I decided I was not going to miss out on life anymore, I was going to enjoy every day and make the most of every opportunity.”

He later fell ill again and was admitted to hospital, on a day when he likely thought he could have been entitled to have a bit of a party.

“It happened to be the evening of the 10th anniversary screening of the ‘Good Vibrations’ film at the Strand Arts Centre [in east Belfast],” he said.

“I actually asked the consultant if I could get out for a couple of hours to attend before coming back to hospital.”

Reflecting on life with dialysis, Terri said: “I do not spend time worrying about how long life will be. I focus on the quality of life while I am here.

“I try not to let dialysis take over my life, but it has become a big part of it.

“But I am still keeping busy. My next performance is a live evening of poetry and nonsense, and I always try to look forward rather than back.”