Music brings people together.
Listen again · RTÉ Radio 1
Tommy on
Sunday with Miriam
· 24-minute interview
Tommy joins Miriam O’Callaghan to talk about his life in music, The Sands Family and the people and experiences behind his songs, ahead of his RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
Listen to Tommy’s interviewOpens the interview on RTÉ. Press play to listen.
Listen to the full programme ↗
Tommy’s interview starts at 17:55.
Photo supplied by Tommy Sands · edited
Ballad of
a Songman.
A life story,
brought to the stage.
Tommy’s life brought to the stage through song, story, poetry, humour and film, developed with playwright Martin Lynch.
Discover more about Ballad of a Songman
Arising from
the Troubles.
Songs and stories
of conflict and peace.
Songs and first-hand stories from Northern Ireland, exploring conflict, hope and the search for peace.
Discover more about Arising from the Troubles
Let the circle
be wide.
Learning. Listening.
Finding common ground.
Concerts, school assemblies and workshops that bring people together through music, listening and conversation.
Discover more about Let the circle be wide
Music &
conflict resolution.
Bringing the conversation
to Harvard.
Bringing the conversation to Harvard.
Discover more about Music & conflict resolutionRemembering
John & Pat Hume.
Music, memory
and a commitment to peace.
Music alongside a conversation about nonviolence.
Discover more about Remembering John & Pat HumeMusic
Mends Minds.
In collaboration with UCLA
Exploring music’s rolein resolving conflict.Mentoring collaboration · documented in winter 2025
Exploring music’s role in resolving conflict.
Discover more about Music Mends Minds & UCLA
Frederick Douglass
Civil Rights Festival
Songs alongside
the conversation.
Songs and civil-rights conversation.
Discover more about Frederick Douglass Civil Rights FestivalThe Swannanoa
Gathering.
Folk traditions,
passed from hand to hand.
Supporting the passing-on of folk traditions.
Discover more about The Swannanoa Gathering
Féile Bríde
with Afri.
Music for peace
and justice.
Music within a gathering for peace and justice.
Discover more about Féile Bríde with AfriArtsawonder
& Artsahealing.
Music that helps
people connect.
Exploring how music can help people connect.
Discover more about Artsawonder & Artsahealing
Music, healing
& Fiddler’s Green.
An exchange of music,
ideas and lived experience.
An exchange of music, ideas and lived experience.
Discover more about Music, healing & Fiddler’s Green
Community stories.
On film.
Listening to the people
who make a place.
Listening to the people who make a place.
Discover more about Community stories on film
The Kinship
of Difference.
Making space
for difficult conversations.
Making space for difficult conversations.
Discover more about The Kinship of DifferenceMusic
across borders.
Connecting people
beyond Ireland.
Connecting people beyond Ireland.
Discover more about Music across borders
Finding a voice.
In Reno.
Songwriting as a way
to be heard.
Songwriting as a way to be heard.
Discover more about Finding a voice in RenoSarajevo
to Belfast.
A musical meeting
across two histories.
A musical meeting across two histories of conflict.
Discover more about Sarajevo to Belfast
Rediscover
Northern Ireland.
Sharing Northern Ireland’s music across the Atlantic.
Past cultural programme · Washington, D.C., 2008Sharing Northern Ireland’s music across the Atlantic.
Discover more about Rediscover Northern Ireland
Young voices.
In Ballymun.
Sharing songs of peace
and reconciliation.
Sharing songs of peace and reconciliation.
Discover more about Young voices in Ballymun
A Citizens’
Assembly
Making room for dialogue through music, across political and religious differences.
Belfast · 1996Making room for dialogue through music, across political and religious differences.
Discover more about A Citizens’ Assembly
Music at
Stormont
Children, musicians and political representatives finding moments of shared song.
Peace talks & Christmas gathering · 1998–2002Children, musicians and political representatives finding moments of shared song.
Discover more about Music at Stormont
Re-Imagining
Ireland
Song, cultural identity and an unexpected shared stage in Virginia.
Charlottesville · 2003Song, cultural identity and an unexpected shared stage in Virginia.
Discover more about Re-Imagining Ireland
The
Radio Ballads
Personal testimony and new songs tell stories of Northern Ireland’s conflict.
BBC Radio 2 · 2006Personal testimony and new songs tell stories of Northern Ireland’s conflict.
Discover more about The Radio Ballads
At the
Smithsonian
Northern Ireland’s living traditions on an international festival stage.
Washington, D.C. · 2007Northern Ireland’s living traditions on an international festival stage.
Discover more about At the Smithsonian
Country
Céilí
Nearly four decades of music, local voices and stories on the radio.
Downtown Radio · broadcasting careerNearly four decades of music, local voices and stories on the radio.
Discover more about Country Céilí
The Shadow of
O’Casey
Tommy’s songwriting meets the theatre, in collaboration with Shivaun O’Casey.
A stage musical collaborationTommy’s songwriting meets the theatre, in collaboration with Shivaun O’Casey.
Discover more about The Shadow of O’Casey
Grace beneath
the Cranes
Poetry, music and personal experience in a conversation about Belfast.
Four Corners Festival · 2020Poetry, music and personal experience in a conversation about Belfast.
Discover more about Grace beneath the Cranes
The Emigrant
Woman’s Tale
Songs, poetry and memories of crossing borders, captured on film.
With Fil Campbell & Csilla Toldy · 2020Songs, poetry and memories of crossing borders, captured on film.
Discover more about The Emigrant Woman’s Tale
Learning through
shared stories
Music and storytelling within visits exploring peace and reconciliation.
St Stephen’s University & An CuanMusic and storytelling within visits exploring peace and reconciliation.
Discover more about Learning through shared stories
Singing with
Pete Seeger
A songwriting friendship and a birthday celebration shared with Moya and Fionán.
Collaboration & Clearwater celebration · 2009A songwriting friendship and a birthday celebration shared with Moya and Fionán.
Discover more about Singing with Pete Seeger
Columbanus &
connections
Song, family history and the journeys connecting Bangor with Europe.
Journey of a Single Day · Bangor, 2016Song, family history and the journeys connecting Bangor with Europe.
Discover more about Columbanus & connections
The Music
of Healing
Songs, stories and a conversation about peace with Stephen Bauman.
Stone Ridge, New York · 10 May 2026Songs, stories and a conversation about peace with Stephen Bauman.
Discover more about The Music of Healing — in conversation
Songs & stories
at Monmouth
An intimate concert of songs and stories in New Jersey.
Monmouth University · 2013An intimate concert of songs and stories in New Jersey.
Discover more about Tommy Sands at Monmouth University