The Leitrim Mattress Mick connection - from Mohill to Dublin

Local writer Josephine McCaffrey, who hails originally from Mohill struck up an unlikely and heart-warming friendship with one of Ireland’s most recognisable figures — Mattress Mick.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer, Josephine spoke about her childhood growing up in Gorvagh, Mohill and she still makes the trip from Dublin to her hometown every other week to catch up with family and friends. "I was brought up there until I was 9 and my family are all from there. We were then back and forth all of my life."

Josephine's parents are Christy, who has since passed away, and Margaret McCaffery and she spoke of how her mother ran a local choir for children and her father worked in the local garage. 

She told us: "My mother was very much a big part of the community; they all speak fondly of her. She used to lead the choir in the local church in Gorvagh and would have choir rehearsals on the front lawn every Saturday. We'd all sing in the garden in the front lawn. She instilled a love of singing in so many of them. They all thank me now still for those memories."

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Her father played GAA and was a well-know footballer. "He used to work in the mechanics by the church in Mohill."

She attend St. Joseph's School in Mohill with her three sisters. "Mohill is a huge part of our life and our community and friends. We'd get sweets in Paul Greenan's after school. It was a big part of my life and still is; I'm in Leitrim a lot with my family. They have been supportive of me over the years with various. I started a theatre group in Mohill too which is still going strong. We would rehearse in the Canon Donohue Hall for the local community. They are called Acorn Players now."

Josephine’s family moved to Devon when she was 9 years old, but she later returned home to Ireland when her father became ill. After his passing, unsure of what direction her life would take next, she decided to follow a long-held dream. Having always romanticised Dublin, she packed her bags and moved there “just for a while”  to see what it might be like.

What began as a temporary adventure soon turned into a new chapter. Josephine set up a comedy show at The Duke, just off Grafton Street, and one afternoon, while handing out flyers, she had a chance encounter that would change everything. That’s when she met Mattress Mick.

“I recognised him straight away,” she recalls, “but I couldn’t quite place where from.” The two struck up an easy conversation, and Mick handed her his business card. From that moment, a creative friendship was born. They went on to collaborate on comedy sketches, and Josephine later wrote the acclaimed musical based on his extraordinary life story.

More recently, the pair decided to put Mick’s remarkable journey into words. The result is Bouncing Back: Memoirs of a Mattress Salesman — a book that tells the inspiring story of resilience, reinvention, and the power of never giving up.

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“Stories like this need to be told,” Josephine says. “They resonate with people — the everyday struggles, the losses, and the courage to keep going when life falls apart. I find Mick’s story deeply moving and personally inspirational. In a world that tells us we’re too old or too late, Mick proves that’s absolute nonsense. He reinvented himself in his sixties and became a national treasure. We need more stories like his — about everyday people doing extraordinary things. And, let’s face it, a mattress salesman writing his memoirs isn’t what you’d expect — but that’s exactly what makes it so special.”

The book charts Flynn’s rollercoaster life — from near-bankruptcy to national fame — told with honesty, humour, and heart. It delves into the joy and pain of his journey: the devastating loss of his beloved wife Margaret in 2023, the adoption of his daughter Marina from Russia, and the challenges and triumphs that shaped his character.

Hailed as inspiring, touching, and brilliantly funny, Bouncing Back offers a deeply human portrait of an ordinary man with an extraordinary spirit — a reminder that no matter how hard life gets, it’s always possible to rise again.

Working closely with Flynn, Josephine spent months piecing together his life — from his childhood on Pearse Street, through family joys and struggles, to the bold, creative thinking that turned him into a beloved household name.

At its heart, Bouncing Back is a love letter to perseverance, community, and creativity. It’s about holding onto hope, finding laughter in the darkest moments, and daring to dream again — whether that means thinking outside the box or, in Mick’s case, outside the bed.

Today, Michael Flynn stands as one of Ireland’s most beloved public figures — admired not only for his humour and entrepreneurial spirit but also for his generosity and activism, including his involvement in Apollo House. His story resonates deeply with anyone who has faced hardship and found the strength to keep going.

Bouncing Back: Memoirs of a Mattress Salesman is a celebration of resilience, laughter, and the unbreakable Irish spirit — available now online and in all good bookshops.

Michael Flynn is a businessman and the owner of the ‘Mattress Mick’ mattress sales company. His memoir ’Bouncing Back: Memoirs of a mattress salesman’ is published by Gill Books.