Music across borders
Music
across borders.
Connecting people
beyond Ireland.
Connecting people beyond Ireland.
Drake University’s 2011 account records Tommy bringing messages of peace through song to Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan and Cuba. In personal recollections published by his booking representative, Tommy describes meeting musicians in Palestine and Israel to connect like-minded groups, a music tour of India organised by Pete Seeger, and travelling with Moya and Fionán to hurricane-affected villages in Cuba. These are accounts of past work, not forthcoming tours.
Learning through exchange
In recollections written in 2014, Tommy describes a tour of India organised by Pete Seeger. Encounters with Bengal Baul musicians led him to reflect on connections between Irish and Indian music. He also recalls travelling with Moya and Fionán to perform in Cuban villages affected by hurricanes.
Meeting musicians across divisions
The same account describes visits to Palestine and Israel to connect musicians and like-minded groups. It records concerts across Gaza, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as well as the difficulties of working amid conflict. These recollections give a personal view of the encounters behind the broader description of Tommy’s peace work.
From home to international conversations
The international connections also include formal cultural discussion. Compass Records’ biography records Tommy addressing a UNESCO study in Paris on the culture of peace in September 1997. Music and dialogue appear together in these accounts, whether in a village, a concert venue or an institutional setting.