Peter Charles McCarthy Robinson (9 November 1951 – 6 October 2004) was an English comedian, radio and television presenter and travel writer. He was noted for his best-selling travel books McCarthy's Bar (2000) and The Road to McCarthy (2002), in which he explored Ireland and the Irish diaspora around the world. Born in Warrington, Lancashire to an English father of Irish descent and an Irish mother, McCarthy spent much of his early life in his mother's homeland, developing a love for the country. After attending West Park Grammar School, he later decided to become a writer, studying English at Leicester University. After a brief stint as a teacher, he moved to Brighton, where he was involved in local art community projects and first involved himself in comedy, co-founding a comedy troupe known as Cliff Hanger Theatre with Robin Driscoll, Steve McNicholas, Tony Haase and Rebecca Stevens. Touring the country and winning various awards, they also produced two television shows for Channel 4 and BBC Two. Going solo, McCarthy began a career as a stand-up comic and comedy writer. After his success with The Hangover Show in 1990, he was employed to present a number of television and radio shows, including Desperately Seeking Something (1995–1998), Breakaway and Country Tracks. Turning his attention to travel writing, in 2000 he published McCarthy's Bar, which detailed his travels around Western Ireland. After it proved a critical and commercial success, he authored a second tome, The Road to McCarthy, based on his journeys through the Irish diaspora in the New York City, Montana, Alaska, Tasmania and Montserrat. A third book remained unfinished when he died of cancer in 2004. Biography Early life : 1951–1974 McCarthy was born on 9 November 1951 in Warrington, Lancashire. His mother had moved to England from her native Ireland during the Second World War to work as a nurse. It was during this time that she met her future husband at a dance, and they would have four children, of whom Peter was the eldest. McCarthy was educated at West Park Grammar School in St Helens, a Roman Catholic institution run by the Christian Brothers. He later characterised this experience as "a mixture of hellfire and brimstone, corporal punishment and awakening sexuality", while describing the Christian Brothers' authoritarian education methods as "Carrot and stick without the carrot". As a child, he spent his school holidays in Drimoleague in West Cork,