Sean O'Leary was born on 15 September 1953, the third of four children in a working-class family in Liverpool and was baptised at St Mary's Church, Woolton. He attended St..Francis Xavier's College, a Jesuit run school from the age of fourteen. His parents had a passion for opera and loved to sing. Although he received no formal musical education, Sean taught himself to play the piano at a friend's house where he spent much of his time. Sean began songwriting at the age of fifteen and has been recording his songs for many years since his move to London in his early twenties. He worked for periods in several bands and toured in both Europe and America. He has been living in Somerset since 1987 where he has spent many hours, years recording and producing songs in his studio. As well as songwriting and musical composition Sean also writes on theology and philosophy. He only recently discovered Hopkins' poetry and was moved and inspired to put most of his poems to music.