Country Céilí
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.
Alongside touring and recording, Tommy was a familiar voice on Downtown Radio through his weekly programme Country Céilí. When The Irish News reported his departure in January 2014, it described a broadcasting relationship lasting almost 37 years.
A regular musical meeting place
The newspaper’s account dates the Sunday programme to August 1977. Through that long association, broadcasting became another strand of Tommy’s musical life, alongside his solo work and performances with the Sands Family.
Songs beyond the studio
Country Céilí also carried music from special gatherings. The Troubles Archive records that Tommy’s Christmas concert with Northern Ireland Assembly members in December 2002 was recorded for the programme. It connects the radio work with his broader effort to bring people together through song.