After a restricted window visit with his mother in her care home during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Hanrahan wrote "A River Rolls" On as a tribute to her life and dedication to caring for others. His mother had been living with dementia since 2012. The song was recorded with Dublin's Forgetmenots Choir, a dementia and age-friendly community choir, and released on 28 May 2021, the day she sadly passed away. His mother’s passing had a profound effect on Mike’s life and motivated him to promote awareness and hopefully develop a national conversation on Dementia and family care.
""A River Rolls" On is inspired by my mother. I imagined my mum's life as a beautiful meandering river heading to its ocean. It was my deepest wish that the ancient sea folk would carry her past the storm of dementia and welcome her to a peaceful rest beyond the breakers."