In 1997 Tim Thurston took early retirement from Guinness Ireland. He had worked there for 35 years having joined the company almost straight from school and he spent five years with Guinness' Nigerian operation before settling down to a career in the management services department at St James's Gate.

When the option on early retirement was offered Thurston was tempted even though two of his children were still in second-level school at the time. "I knew I was taking a risk, but I felt that after 35 years in the one place I'd like to move on," he says. "I was also excited by the prospect of being able to put my energies into music full-time. The alternative was another five years with Guinness and while I had enjoyed my time there, I didn't relish the thoughts of a continuing daily battle with the traffic and all the constraints that go with working for a large organisation.

"I also thought it would be wonderful to plan a working day that suited my body clock. I am one of these people who experiences a drop in energy in the afternoons and since I've been working for myself, I can accommodate this. It's also a huge plus being able to make the most of good weather. My wife works from home, too, so we can take time out if it's a nice day and go for a walk on the beach. Materially we not be as well off since I retired but there are many other compensations."

Since retiring, Thurston has turned his undivided attention to music. A part-time broadcaster for the past 15 years, he has become a familiar voice to listeners of Lyric FM where he is now a regular presenter of classical and jazz programmes.

His particular loves are jazz and early choral music to which he had a splendid introduction during a childhood spent in Cambridge with the choir of King's College on his doorstep. He learned saxophone and sang in the school choir and he has continued singing all of his adult life. He is currently a member of the choir of St Bartholomew's Church in Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin, where his son is a chorister.

"My strongest motivation for doing what I do is a desire to share my love of music with other people," he says. "Music has the power to enrich and touch us in so many ways. The other delight of my `retirement' is having more time to read."

Thurston researches and scripts all of his own material for Lyric FM and travels to Limerick to record his programmes. "I love going down there," he says. "There is a wonderful atmosphere and I work with very enthusiastic and knowledgeable people."

Thurston is computer literate and he uses a PC to write, plan his play lists and e-mail his producers at Lyric. He has a vast musical library and most of the music he plays is drawn from his own CD collection.

"I think the sort of choral music I play on Gloria (Sundays at 6.p.m) is particularly suitable for radio and while it has a religious theme it seems to appeal to those with and without a strong faith," he says. "It's not the sort of music that translates particularly well to the concert hall but it is just so wonderful that it deserves to be heard and enjoyed."

While working in Guinness' Thurston was actively involved in Dublin's musical life and he was one of the prime movers behind the Early Music Festivals held in Dublin between 1988 and 1992. Early music is still a passion but so, too, is contemporary jazz which he also presents on Lyric. "I think people tend to limit their experience of music unnecessarily," he says. "They tend to be seriously hampered by the fact that they put themselves into a box marked `classical' or `jazz' and they stay there, often because they feel they don't have the language to be able to respond to something unfamiliar.

"I would argue that the only response needed is to remain open to new musical experiences and to respond honestly to what you hear. As a family we have always listened to each other's music and if the kids were passionate about something on Top of the Pops then I'd listen to it with them. I don't think that terms like good or bad music are useful or helpful.

"Personally I enjoy all sorts of music. I've always been interested in mainstream world music and in what's happening on the fringes. For me, contemporary jazz is as close as one gets to the creative process. It is incredibly exciting and it has you on the edge of your seat. It's sad it gets so little airing but things are improving with events such as the Dublin jazz week which the ESB has supported. People can be put off jazz by the image of dark rooms and smoky bars, but the last two gigs I attended were non-smoking."

When he is not preparing his programmes for Lyric, Thurston lectures on UCD's adult education programme and writes music reviews. He is also willing to give talks on music to interested groups. He can be contacted at tthurston@esatclear.ie