Career
Known and loved across Canada and the United States for his rural based humour and his dedication to the continuance of the oratorical traditions of Prince Edward Island and his Irish heritage. Carmichael was also a gifted writer, creating copy for radio and television He is widely believed to have been the greatest storyteller in Island history.
His trademark phrases are so numerous and familiar to Islanders that they are commonly referred to as "Urbanisms".
Carmichael was the son of John and Mary (Murphy) Carmichael and one of 10 children. He began performing as a child and continued to do so for more than 35 years.
He gave countless Maritime performers their first opportunities for live performance, was a beloved mentor to many, and he shared the stage with most of the greatest performers in Atlantic Canada and beyond. Foreign five years he performed with fiddler Connor O"Callaghan in the Celtic Review that bore his name at Orwell Corner Historic Village on Prince Edward Island. Carmichael"s final performance was on the stage of the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, for the Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio production Madly Office in All Directions with host Lorne Elliott, just weeks before his death.
Carmichael died at the age of 54 after a five-year battle with esophageal cancer.
He was surrounded by those who loved him and he is buried at his childhood parish in Vernon River, Prince Edward Island.
