Tommy Fleming's new show 'Paddy' looks at the emigrating Irish in the 60s

Tommy Fleming’s musical show tells of the Irish who had to change and adapt to their new home in London in the 1960s, writes Ed Power

GROWN men were weeping in the aisles when Tommy Fleming’s new musical play, Paddy, had its premiere in Mayo last September.

“It’s about those who went to work in Britain in the ’60s and were often forgotten,” says the popular singer-songwriter. “This is a universal Irish experience — everyone knows a ‘Paddy’. At Castlebar, the response was incredible: I’d never seen so many adults crying. I knew it was a powerful piece. But even I was surprised. From early on, it was clear we had struck a chord.”