That guest was me, didn't realise I was discookied.

Seán Potts said that Tommy was a most melancholic man, probably depressed: as he played in his living room, the tears would roll down his cheeks till there were two pools of water on the carpet!

I was fortunate to hear him play live a couple of times - mainly at Éigse na Tríonóide in the early 1970s. His take on the tunes is quirky but very moving.

I don't know if Martin Hayes cites Tommy as an influence, but I find it hard to imagine he wasn't influenced by Tommy.