O'Hanolan was known as something of a ladies man, with his portrait adorning many a lovesick teenagers wall.

However away from the glamour and excitement of the Blues scene, O'Hanolan was an unhappy man, proving as unlucky in love as he was with contagious diseases.

Despite a string of very public liasons, most notably an on-off 16-month relationship with 1952 Miss Faithlegg Maureen 'bottles' Finnerty, O'Hanolan would never find his lovematch, and remined single throughout his life.

O'Hanolan died in 1972, a victim of the then widespread Shanahan's Syndrome, a rare disease which causes the ears to fall off.