People with style
THE DOCTOR AND THE PIPER
By day, Dr Kieron Cooney is a committed family GP and medical aesthetic practitioner. By night, he dons his bagpipes and plays with the Wight Hot Pipes, on stages such as Glastonbury Festival and the famous BBKing Club in Manhattan, New York
By Amy Shephard
“In my heart and soul I am an enthusiastic and committed family doctor, a GP. It’s more than a job, it’s a vocation. It defines who I am and I love the work I do, despite the pulls and pushes from government schemes and meddling and the increasingly frustrating challenges of inadequate resources and growing demands.
“Playing with Wight Hot Pipes is
my passion and allows a breakaway to express an alter ego on which I depend for enormous artistic satisfaction. My achievements and success in managing the band has led us to amazing places and to meet and be appreciated by amazing people. From the USA to Belgium the band has had amazing opportunities and success.
“In Harrogate, there was a merging of medical and band interests as we were booked to perform at the Great Royal Hall for the annual conference of the Royal College of General Practitioners Grand Ball.”
This year, apart from Glastonbury, the band is headlining the International Steampunk Festival, ‘Welcome to the Asylum’, in Lincoln at the famous Engine Shed. Closer to home, Kieron co-organises and produces the annual Medina Tattoo and Highland Gathering in support of Island charities.
Keiron’s time is now also divided further, with the development of his private aesthetic and medical clinic in Ryde, Cosmedica Clinics, which he runs and owns with his wife Vicky.
“My ever-supportive and talented wife is not only an inspiration and great support, but also a highly experienced and excellent advanced nurse practitioner. Together we are enjoying success in developing our clinic whilst balancing our commitment to the ever-strained NHS.”
“I constantly remind myself of the need to balance work and find time to do the things I enjoy, whether that’s walking the cats — yes my wife and I walk three Bengals most days on their harnesses — and to strive to think outside the box of convention.”
Style is? To stand tall and stand out. Wear something different and avoid fashion labels and celebrity trends, which so quickly come and go and do not hold any meaning to me. Do your own thing. I love stylish shoes and boots and the Steampunk fashion.
What does Island living mean to you? Staying out of the rat race. Being part of a unique, friendly community, and living a dream ever since I came here 20 years ago.
Icons or Inspirations? Mark Twain is an inspiration with many life quotes that mean so much now, as they did then.
‘Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, then it doesn’t matter.’
‘Politicians and diapers must be changed regularly....and for the same reason’
Blunders and what you learned? What goes around comes around. Don’t get excited by new ideas, so often they have been tried already and dropped. Reinventing the wheel for the sake of making an impression is so often a politician’s strategy.
Top tips? Keep your work life balance in shape, do what your heart tells you and try to avoid chasing trends and fashions. Think outside the box and let there be no limits to constrain your imagination.
Facing the future? To enjoy and be thankful for the privilege of the life I have and to carry on pushing the boundaries of what I can achieve. Also to enjoy the journey with my wife Vicky and the people around me who make so much difference. Happiness and health surely goes hand-in-hand and I am lucky to have both.
September and October 2019
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