In 1985 aged almost 15 he was voted "Best New Talent" when he won a competition at his local school "The Drimnagh Castle Competition".
In 1986 Marcus was playing Flute for The Irish Youth Concert Marching Band, (I.Y.C.M.B.)
The I.Y.C.M.B were members of marching bands throughout Ireland who came together once a month in The Tallaght Community School (Dublin, Ireland) for instruction workshops in music and dance by top instrumental instructors.
Marcus was trained to read music for Flute and also performed instrumental jigs, reels, hornpipes on Irish Tin Whistle for The Irish Traditional Youth Band and Irish Dancers (I.Y.B.)
1987 Marcus sailed across the Irish see with the I.Y.C.M.B. to perform for the Duke of York in Edinburgh Castle, Scotland for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The I.Y.C.M.B. later changed its name to the Tallaght Festival Band (T.F.B) and Marcus was now chief instrumentalist for the Irish dance group on Irish Tin Whistle.
Armed with an electric guitar Marcus and friend Michael Lennox (Mick) started performing with lots of artists, "Salmon Pink" "Mick Monk and The Mucus Membranes" but the most promising was a band that both Mick and Marcus started called "Rockaria", they rehearsed in an abandoned church with fabulous reverbs and echoes, sadly the band only ever did one show, it was the Kilnamanagh Summer Project (Dublin, Ireland 1987).
Late in 1987 Marcus began playing guitar with one of Irelands most promising original pop/rock groups "Power of Dreams", whom did numerous live TV and Radio (BBC1, BBC2, HTV, RTE1, RTE2) appearences throughout England & Ireland, and to their credit got signed up to the Polydor record label in 1988.
| 
