Thomas McCarthy: 'Our windows were smashed by National Front people'

In advance of his appearance at Cork Folk Festival, singer Thomas McCarthy talks Traveller culture, facing prejudice, and the love of reggae he inherited from his Jamaican neighbours 

Thomas McCarthy, seen here in the Songs Of The Open Road documentary, will perform at Cork Folk Festival. 

From the time he was born, Thomas McCarthy has lived his life on the road. He feels out of sorts if he doesn’t have the wind in his hair. 

A member of the travelling community, as a child, McCarthy spent his days wandering around Ireland in a wagon, particularly along the western seaboard (but never to Northern Ireland because the Troubles were raging at the time).