Thomas sings up for the lifeboats

SRÁID Eoin man Thomas O’Callaghan, who is renowned as the voice of Dingle Races, is adding his voice to the cause of supporting the RNLI lifeboat service with the launch of a CD of his favourite songs.

Thomas’s colourful commentary has provided the backdrop to the Dingle Races for many years, but he is also well known for his fine singing voice. The voice was something he was fortunate to inherit from his father, Mikey, and the much loved – though sometimes strict – Sr Kevin helped fine tune it.

From childhood Thomas never turned down a call for a song and last February when Joe Queally of Clare RNLI asked him to record a CD to benefit the lifeboat service he didn’t refuse either. Thomas, who now lives in Ennis, got to down to the business of recording the CD in Milltown Malbay Studios and in a matter of only a few weeks he had put together a collection of 11 of his favourite songs – along with a poem about Dingle Races by former Dingle PP, Canon Tom Looney.

The songs, all of which are special to Thomas in one way or another, include The Kingdom I Call Home, Mary From Dungloe, The Old Bog Road, and Dingle Bay – a song that definitely wouldn’t have needed any rehearsal!

Joe Queally said Thomas didn’t hesitate for a second when asked to do the recording for the RNLI. “It’s people like this who give of themselves that build a lifeboat, who put diesel in the engines…”

Pat Neligan will launch the CD in The Skellig Hotel at 8.30pm on Wednesday next, June 26. All are welcome and a night of ballads, memories and good craic is promised.

All the money raised from sales of the CD will be donated to the RNLI and as Joe Queally said: “For now it’s a CD, in years to come it’ll be a collector’s item.”

Thomas O’Callaghan