Tom Carey at Éigse Mrs. Crotty 2008

Tom Carey with Mairéad Considine, from the Concertina Recital in Teach Cheoil at Éigse Mrs. Crotty 2008 in Kilrush. Posted on Youtube by handstrapz on the 25th September 2008.

Well-known Clare musician Tom Carey has died recently after a long illness. “Born into a small farm in the townland of Leitrim on October 27th, 1933, Tom was one of four children. He was introduced to concertina music through his mother Minnie, while his father Joseph was on of the first people to purchase a gramophone in the area and he became an avid collector of 78 rpm recordings. Michael ‘Stack’ Ryan was one of his greatest influences and Tom commenced tuition with him at 14 years of age. He also had tuition from Elizabeth Crotty. Tom first came to prominence on national radio in the mid fifties, having been recorded with Solus Lilly at Crotty’s pub in Kilrush by broadcaster and music collector Ciarán Mac Mathúna. In 1962 he was recorded by Seán Ó Riada in Flynn’s pub in Cree, as part of Ó Riada’s highly influential radio series ‘Our Musical Heritage’ which was broadcast on Radio Éireann later that year. In 1974, Tom, in duet with Solus Lillis, contributed three selections to ‘Irish Styles’, an album recorded by Englishmen Neil Wayne and John Tans and released on the Topic record label in 1977. After this it would be another 32 years until he completed another recording, when he was persuaded to record a few selections in Walshe’s pub innCree, for his CD Tom Carey and Friends.” (Quote from The Clare Champion, Friday April 16th, 2010)