INTERVIEW Tommy Fleming

FULL CIRCLE?Tommy Fleming pictured last week at Westport’s Quay, where he was first spotted by Phil Coulter back in ’93.?Pic: Conor McKeown

For the love of music

WHEN you look at the latest Irish album charts, nestled between world-dominating act Hozier and pop sensation Ed Sheeran, is Sligo singer Tommy Fleming.
His album ‘The West Awake’, his thirteenth, has held its place in the top 15 albums in Ireland since its release in October last year. The singer is currently on a national tour, selling out Cork Opera House and other venues. Upcoming gigs include Dubin’s Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Belfast’s Ulster Hall, and Westport’s Castlecourt Hotel.
Tommy might share platinum-album success and chart spots with artists like One Direction and The Script, but one thing is for sure: You won’t find him rubbing shoulders with celebrities and musicians at awards events. The extremely private singer would much rather spend his down time in his Enniscrone home with his family, or feasting on a marathon viewing of ‘Game of Thrones’.
“It just doesn’t appeal to me. I do what I do for the love of the music not for notoriety,” he tells The Mayo News.  
We’re meeting back where it all began, at The Quay in Westport, where Phil Coulter discovered him gigging at a charity function in The Towers over two decades ago. As we chat, the infectiously good-humoured entertainer reflects on his career and his enduring success.
Tommy was the lead singer with band Jarrog in 1990. In 1993, after singing four songs at the charity event in Westport, he was approached by singer and producer Phil Coulter, who was in the audience.
Used to gigging in ‘bijoux’ venues like McGoldrick’s and Mick Byrne’s in Castlebar, Tommy suddenly found himself on tour with Coulter, playing venues such as the National Concert Hall, Cork Opera House and Carnegie Hall in New York.
“I was thrown right in at the deep end, but it was the best education I could have ever had. Phil taught me an awful lot. From there, I worked with De Danann and Mary Black, so I had brilliant people around me showing me the ropes,” says the 44 year old, comparing the period to ‘an apprenticeship’.
To this day, Tommy says he applies all kinds of lessons from those artists to his professional life, from having a clean stage to choosing what’s right for his career.
In 2003, after a split with his management team, Tommy and wife, Tina, decided to set up TF Productions and TF Entertainment. The move has given Tommy complete control over his career (bar some budgeting advice from Tina every now and again!).
“Once I got out of being told what to do, I knew I never wanted to be told what to do, ever. Now we don’t jump into things very quickly. I think, ‘Do I want to do this; is it worth it?’.
“Musicians and artist are pushed into things they don’t want to do. You know they are run ragged running from Billy to Jack, doing gigs six or seven nights a week. I think ‘If I did that I’d be on the floor’.”

Hard times on the road
Tommy has performed with some of his band members for over 20 years now, and it seems they have become like family. While touring, everyone travels mostly on the tour bus which has a separate room, affectionately known ‘the diary room’, providing refuge for those looking for some quiet time. The band are so close that Tommy’s now 21-year-old daughter Becky used to be looked after by band members when she was younger.
“If somebody is in trouble we all circle the wagons. It’s a given, if someone is in trouble we all pitch in,” says the singer.
For Tommy, this truly became apparent in March 2012, when both his parents passed away on the same day, within hours of each other, due to ill health.
Describing it as ‘the biggest shock that could have happened me ever’, Tommy says he had never experienced anything like the way in which his band members rallied around him.
Touring in the UK at the time, Tommy remembers that fellow band member Conal put him into a car to the airport and told him he would ‘sort everything’ cancelling tour dates, etc.
The first show he played after his parents’ death was, he admits, the most difficult of all. The heartbroken singer had to exclude some sentimental songs from the set list.
But, doggedly determined and forward-looking, he has returned to top form once again and is excited about touring Ireland again.
Tommy’s upcoming show in The Castlecourt Hotel, Westport, takes place on March 13, and it promises to be a very special night.
“We’re bringing in nine musicians, strings, everything. People will get some of the new album and even songs I would have sung in McGoldrick’s in 1990, so they’ll get a run of 24 years, and the most memorable stuff.”  
Has the fiery-haired singer any plans beyond the current national tour? Well, he hints at talk of a special show celebrating the tenth anniversary of his famous Voice of Hope concert in Knock, and maybe even a foray into the world of theatre. Watch this space, Tommy Fleming fans.

For tickets to Tommy Fleming’s concert in The Castlecourt Hotel, Westport, call the hotel on 098 55088, drop into Downtown Records, Castlebar, or visit www.tommyfleming.com.