Tommy Sands, Northern Ireland’s folk singer, songwriter and social activist has achieved something akin to legendary status in his own lifetime. From the pioneering days with the Sands Family, bringing Irish Music from New York’s Carnegie Hall to Moscow’s Olympic Stadium, he has developed into one of the most powerful songwriters and enchanting solo performers in Ireland today. His songs, like “There were Roses” and “Daughters and Sons” have been recorded by Joan Baez, The Dubliners and many others. He has hosted the radio show Country Ceili in Belfast since 1976, and in 2002 received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno for his work as a “musician and ambassador for peace and understanding.” The late Pete Seeger said of his friend, “Tommy Sands has achieved that difficult but wonderful balance between knowing and loving the traditions of his home and being concerned with the future of the whole world.”

Free, live concert recorded Thursday, October 20, 2022 by Kevin Rogan and Todd DeGarmo. Edited by Kevin Rogan.

Concert hosted and produced by Todd DeGarmo, founding director of the Folklife Center at Crandall Public Library, and funded in part by the Friends of Crandall Public Library and the New York State Council on the Arts – Folk Arts Program with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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