I WAS educated in Govan, Glasgow, on the banks of the Clyde. My family were devout Catholics and I was an altar boy in two parishes, St Anthony’s and St Constantine’s.

At one point, at the age of 10 or 11, I was interested in going to the seminary at Blairs College and my mother got quite excited. But then my interest in that waned, as I turned to sport, the guitar and my pals.

When I was 12, my father, sadly, died. My loving mother was a big driver in my education; she wanted to make sure that her boy did well, despite having left school herself at 14. I went on to St Gerard’s Secondary School and have nothing but fond memories of it. It was a fun place, but had strong values. The school’s alumnae include the comedian Billy Connolly, Jim Craig and other great Celtic footballers, and the late Labour politician Trish Godman.