Terence Wilfred Hooley (born 23 December 1948) is a businessman from

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

who is a prominent figure in the

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

scene and founder of the

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock music, rock band the Beach Boys, produced and composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. Released as a single on October 10, 1966, it achieved immediate critical and commercial success, ...

record shop and label. He was responsible for bands such as

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...

, Rudi, Protex and The Outcasts making their mark on the music scene in Ireland and Britain. After playing "

Teenage Kicks "Teenage Kicks" is the debut single by Northern Irish punk rock band the Undertones. Written in the summer of 1977 by J.J. O'Neill, the band's rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter, the song was recorded on 15 June 1978 and initially rele ...

" on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, national radio

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

then became a big supporter of the Good Vibrations record label. Despite growing popularity, Good Vibrations filed for bankruptcy in 1982, just as the first wave of British punk had died. Bands that had gone to London, such as Protex and Rudi, returned to Hooley and Belfast. Hooley's friends later got him a shop called Vintage Records, Co. just around the corner from Good Vibrations. The label celebrated its 30th anniversary in April 2008. The Good Vibrations record shop at Winetavern Street, Belfast, closed in July 2011. In October 2012, Hooley was verbally abused and pushed by two men while out walking his dog in East Belfast. During the incident Hooley was described as a "

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

lover" and called "a disgrace to

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

". The attackers later apologised. He became

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

in 1982, but continued to be active on Belfast's music scene. However, in 2015 he closed his last remaining record shop due to ill health. He lost an eye in an accident when six years old, and as of 2023 undergoes dialysis three times a week while maintaining a busy schedule.

Media

In October 2010 his book ''Hooleygan'' was published by Blackstaff Press and was number four in the local charts at Christmas. A "Terri Hooley For Mayor Of Belfast" Facebook campaign was set up but he declined the offer saying: "There are enough fools in Belfast City Hall, they don't need another one." A biopic based on his life, ''

'', came out in 2013, starring

Richard Dormer Richard Dormer (born 11 November 1969) is an actor and playwright from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his roles as Beric Dondarrion in the HBO television series ''Game of Thrones'' and Dan Anderssen in Sky Atlantic's '' Fortitude''. Ea ...

as Hooley. As of 2022, Hooley presents a two hour radio programme of his musical choices on Saturdays from 10pm – 12am.Radio schedule
belfast247onair.com.

References

Living people Punk people Businesspeople from Belfast Ulster Protestants 1948 births {{UK-business-bio-1940s-stub