Ireland's oldest busker back on the street after receiving Covid-19 jab

84-year-old Tom McNamara has been performing on the streets in Limerick for four decades

Ireland’s 'oldest busker' Tom McNamara, 84, in his native Limerick city, after receiving the first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Picture: David Raleigh

Ireland’s “oldest busker” was back playing sweet music on Monday after receiving his first vaccine dose against Covid-19.

Eighty-four year old Tom McNamara, who described himself as the “oldest busker in town”, has played his button accordion on the streets of his native Limerick city for the past 40 years.

Despite the lockdown, Mr McNamara, from Wolfe Tone Street, said he has played everyday during the pandemic around the city to keep his mental health in check and give a boost to others passing by, “who might be having a bad day”.

I do it for me and I do it for Limerick. Despite the pandemic, I come out every day and I say to the pandemic, ‘take a back seat’ and I keep on busking.

“The pandemic has affected the busking, because people are not out as much, and so I am are here on my own a lot. We’re living in a funny world today, but I always look forward – if you don't look forward, you're forever going backwards.

“I was reading in the newspaper that there is an awful lot of people going to the doctor for tablets for depression over the pandemic, but I’ve learned that getting out every day helps me, even though I have pains in my legs – I think it’s arthritis.” 

The optimistic octogenarian adheres to the public health guidelines, busking within 5km of his home, and received his first vaccine dose last week.

“Busking is essential to me, and I’m still going strong. It helps clear my head, everyone of us can get affected by it, it doesn't matter who we are, we can be a professor, a busker, anyone, we are all human, and we can all feel the impact of something like this.”

A former member of the Defence Forces, Mr McNamara said, despite all the pandemic has thrown at him, his love of busking won’t be defeated: “I’ve been playing since I was a child, it’s my life, and I’ll carry on regardless – the pandemonium of the pandemic can move off.”