Tom was the "go-to" man for information on Irish songs, a person with whom to check a thesis or a single point of fact. He possessed a storehouse of knowledge which he could access, deliver and present with astounding ease and good natured flair.

Like others here, I heard a good number of Tom's excellent lectures and can testify that he possessed great talent and fine kindness to the degree that he would never lose a single person in the room though his audiences were often very diverse.
               
He could sing too.

Tom is now tracking down the long departed singers of past generations. What ballads did they have and just how did they sing them?

Dan Milner