Westport musicians pay annual tribute to Tony Small

MUCH MISSED Singer/songwriter Tony Small.

Once more, the musical community of Westport will gather for their yearly tribute to their comrade and fellow musician Tony Small from Galway, who died four years ago after a long and distinguished career as a folk singer and songwriter. This musical commemoration will take place in The Big Tree, Lower Peter Street, on Friday, January 20, from 8.30pm.
Tony was the wandering minstrel par excellence, and he numbered Mayo among the places where he felt particularly at home. This celebration will evoke pleasant memories of last year’s event, which brought together under one roof almost the entire folk music community of Westport and its surrounding areas. In addition, many of Tony Small’s relatives, friends, and followers will again travel long distances to enjoy and to contribute to this yearly pilgrimage in honour of the departed songster.
A feature of the night, as always, will be the broad variety of musical genres that will be represented, a tribute to the extremely broad spectrum of Tony’s own musical interests. There will be a focus on the unforgettable songs that Tony wrote or adapted, as well as songs that the performers associate with their fond memories of him.
A joyous occasion, where Tony’s many music associates in Mayo join together to remember and celebrate their dear friend, to perform his music and the music they associate with him, and to recall the happy times they spent together with him. The night is an opportunity for them to recall the charisma and creativity of a rare talent, now sadly no longer with us, and to relive the great joy that Tony Small’s music brought to his audiences and followers.