Tommy Dempsey was actually born in Glasgow, but he emigrated with his Irish parents to Dublin at just 6 weeks old. He remembers his early musical beginnings with his granny, who used to love to sing even at 80 plus; a man (a busker he thinks) came to see her and there were two Irish tinker ladies, one of whom used to play a harp. Music was an integral part of the Irish household in those days, but his interest was mainly in Irish dancing (most of his songs are set to dance tunes).

He began to visit England when he was about fifteen, and settled in Birmingham in his early twenties. His career was born out of the early ’60s Folk Revival ­ a mate at work had heard Tommy singing songs that he had learnt as a boy and invited him along to a gathering at a pub called the Big Bull’s Head down one side of Birmingham Civic Hall. The organiser was Ian Campbell, along with Dave Swarbrick and Dave Phillips, and together with a few others they formed a group called the Clarion Choir.