There Were Roses
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John Fitz
balladmonger 1. noun: a seller of ballads, esp on broadsheets. 2. Noun: a writer of mediocre poetry. History & SynopsisTommy Sands (born 19 December 1945), Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland,is afolk singer, song writer, radio broadcaster, and political activist. He performs with his three siblings as The Sands Family; solo as Tommy Sands; and with his son and daughter as Tommy Sands with Moya and Fionán Sands.[3] Tommy was the prime song-writer for the 'Sands Family', one of Ireland's most influential folk groups of the 1960s and '70s.[4][5]
Tommy Sands has hosted Country Céilí, a radio show on Downtown Radio in Newtownardssince 1976.[4] In May 2002 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno for hisoutstanding work as musician and ambassador for peace and understanding.[6] His song There Were Roses has been described as "... certainly one of the best songs ever written about the "Irish Problem"".[6] The song recounts how Allan Bell (name changed), aProtestant friend of Sands, was murdered in Newry by republican paramilitaries. In the aftermath loyalist paramilitaries "prowled round the Ryan Road" for a Catholic to kill in retaliation; ironically, the man they selected, Sean O'Malley (name changed), had been a good friend of the Protestant victim and also of Sands. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Sands_(Irish_folk_singer) |