Friday 18 th July 2025
London Irish Centre
52 Camden Square, London NW1 9XB
Doors 7.30pm. Tickets: £15/ £7 U18s → https://imdl.giftpro.co.uk/
The first ever teacher of formal traditional Irish music classes in London in the late 1960s (teaching for many years at the London Irish Centre, Camden and St Jude’s Social Club, Stonebridge Park) - North Leitrim man, Tommy Maguire was a fine whistler, lilter, céilí drummer and button accordion player who spent many years sharing his love of Irish music through his teaching of the children of Irish emigrants in this city. His music featured on various commercial recordings, including Topic Records Paddy in the Smoke. He played regularly with a number of the great Irish emigrant musicians from the 1960s, including esteemed fiddlers; Jimmy Power (Waterford), Michael Gorman (Sligo), Lucy Farr (Galway) and more. He was a member of the Four Courts Céilí Band alongside Jimmy Power and Paul Gross (fiddles), Tony Howley (flute), Michael Plunkett (whistle) and Reg Hall (piano) and often played with his family – John, Patsy and Margaret Maguire.
Tommy left a huge legacy in London - numerous young Irish musicians, some of whom went on to teach and some who passed the music on to the next generation in their own families.
This evening’s Tribute concert will feature a number of Tommy’s music students, as well as IMDL’s youth project ‘The Trad Gathering’ playing tunes from his repertoire.
Musicians include: Mary and Mick Linane (Tommy’s first students) and family, Tom (Dervish) and John Morrow, Siobhán O’Donoghue, Alan Morgan, Elaine Conwell, Karen Ryan (The London Lasses), Teresa and Gary Connolly (Auld Triangle Céilí Band), Patrick O’Sullivan (North London Céilí Band) and more.