Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!

Subject: TG4: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Ptarmigan
Date: 22 Dec 10 - 05:14 PM

Concertina enthusiasts won't want to miss this!

Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!

TG4 December 27th, 2010 from 9:15pm to 10:15pm

"The programme covers the life of Clare born musician Tommy McCarthy, from his early days growing up on the family farm and learning to play music, to his years spent in London, and his return to live once again in Clare.
The themes of music, emigration, and in particular the handing down of the music to his children and grandchildren are central to the narrative, and many of Tommy's contemporaries, such as Joe Burke, Noel Hill and Reg Hall, pay tribute to the man and his music."

Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!

Cheers
Dick

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Dec 10 - 03:16 PM

re

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 24 Dec 10 - 04:00 AM

Wonderful film - saw it premiered last year at a local showing (West Clare) - along with members of his family.
Tom was a wonderful musician and a good friend for thirty years.
He was quietly proud of his music and would have been prouder had he lived long enough to hear his grandchildren become yet another generation of fine musicians.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Ptarmigan
Date: 27 Dec 10 - 05:45 PM

If you missed Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes on TG4 tonight, you can watch it now, on the TG4 Player:

Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes: Part 1

Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes: Part 2

Cheers
Dick

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Ptarmigan
Date: 28 Dec 10 - 05:28 AM

Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes: Part 3
http://www.tg4.tv/main.aspx?level=&content=403530912769&search=Handing+Down+the+Tunes

Cheers
Dick

The Irish Concertina

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: mikesamwild
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 09:12 AM

A great programme!. It raises some intersting issues about the role of emigrant communities in the development of the music.


Like New York and Chicago etc in the 20s ,London was a 'cultural cauldron', in the post war period and as people settled and raised famiies they created music and it found its way back home as well as creating part of a scene for visiting musicians. The evolving folk scene helped too with its sympathy for civil rights , I remember Christy Moore doing better in England than at home and I met some great Irish musicians as a young man. In fact that led me to appreciate my own family traditions as well as Americana.


What will he current emigration of young people from Ireland bring? Can such communities fit in with high house prices and pub changes ?

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Vic Smith
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 11:39 AM

Seeing the video of this wonderful man brought back many happy memories of the several occasions that we booked him at our folk club in Lewes.

This was a direct result of my asking Reg Hall who from the London Irish scene that he thought would go down well in our folk club, which Reg knew favoured the traditional, ethnic end of the music. Reg made several good suggestions and in particular, the McCarthys and Lucy Farr and friends became regular guests. The McCarthys were Tommy, playing pipes as well as concertina, with his three wonderful daughters who were about 8, 10 and 12 at that first time and the lovely old fiddler Bobby Casey.

It was Reg who gave me Tommy's phone number and the first time I remember asking, him if he and the family could come and play at our folk club, and at first he sounded very dubious.... he had never played in folk clubs, or hardly ever outside London since he had come over for that matter - the Irish traditional scene in London was very separate from the folk scene - but when I mentioned that it was Reg that had given me his number, he became interested and asked me lots of questions about what the booking would involve. After that he decided that his music would be suitable for our club so I went on to suggest a date. "That sounds fine." Tommy answered, "but I'd better just go and check my diary.".... a fairly long gap before Tommy came back.... "Oh dear! Sadly, we are playing at the Royal Albert Hall that night."

Fortunately, we were able to arrange another date and we were able to bring them back on a number of occasions.

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: mikesamwild
Date: 08 Jan 11 - 07:32 AM

I love the West Clare concertina style, those tripping, danceable reels particularly. Through Tommy and his family we have a link to a whole class of traditional musicians , Stack Ryan on concertina, Willy Clancy and loads more. That tradition is in good hands. Hope it survives the current crisis, I'm sure it will   .

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 08 Jan 11 - 09:06 AM

For those who missed it first time around:
Just heard from Tom's widow, Kathleen that the film is to be repeated on Sunday 23rd January.
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: Tommy McCarthy: Handing Down the Tunes!
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 09 Jan 11 - 04:41 AM

His daughters Bernadette and Jacqueline last night said the repeat would be on the 16 th. Better check the tv guide to be safe if you want to see the program.