TOMMY SANDS: County Down’s singer, songwriter and social activist, has achieved something akin to legendary status in his own lifetime. From the pioneering tours with the highly influential Sands Family, playing Carnegie Hall to Moscow’s Olympic Stadium, he has become one of Ireland’s most powerful songwriters and enchanting performers. He enjoys celebrity status in many parts of the world, tempered by artistic integrity and the sorrow of personal tragedy in his war torn homeland. His songs are incredibly powerful, touching the soul of anyone who hears them and leading artists throughout the world have covered his composition, “There Were Roses”.

Walking the road between two cultures, he dreams of an Ireland without conflict. Indeed, his songs speak to all that Ireland is, from its troubled past to its indomitable spirit and a vision of “a land of dreaming”. And his work around the globe speaks to our common heritage, using music to bridge cultural differences. In this way he shares a vision with songwriters instigating social change such as Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and close friend Pete Seeger.