TOMMY & SAUNDRA O’SULLIVAN

One of the most musically accomplished & tasteful duos playing traditional & contemporary Irish music, husband-&-wife Tommy & Saundra O’Sullivan own, run and book the famous O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub, smack in the middle of Dingle, Ireland, home to many of the island’s best musicians. Prior to opening the esteemed establishment in 2011, Tommy was a full-time touring musician. As a member of Sliabh Notes he recorded three albums. He also toured for years with Irish piper Paddy Keenan with whom he recorded a duet album, The Long Grazing Acre. He has recorded two solo albums, Song Ablaze and Legacy. Tommy & Saundra’s paths crossed when she attended an annual traditional Irish music retreat in Midlothian, Texas, where Tommy was an Irish guest instructor on guitar and vocals. As they explored singing together, they discovered her alto harmonies to be a perfect match to his tenor vocals. The two married in Houston in 2010 and now live in Dingle, where their pub which has earned a reputation for world-class traditional Irish music. In 2015, National Geographic cited O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub as the go-to pub for traditional Irish music on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way.

Saundra, who hails from Texas, brings to the table a strong background in choir and folk singing, skills put to great effect on Tommy & Saundra’s first duet album, Safe Home, which they released in 2018 on both sides of the Atlantic. The next year they enjoyed a visit from Casey Driessen & family to record a session with Casey’s Global Music Exploration Project. A track from this session is now available on the Grammy nominated Otherlands: One (see video below).

During lockdown Tommy & Saundra took part in Janis Ian’s Better Times Project. They also did a fine fine recording for Southwest Roots Music’s Shelter in Place Sessions (see below). For their Facebook Live Sessions, Tommy & Saundra and many musical guests held forth every Sunday for 18 months during the pandemic, recording over 75 hours of smoking Irish sessions (currently being compiled).

Recently the duo was involved in two Traditional Irish Festivals in Ireland as well as playing and presenting music five nights a week at O’Sullivan’s Courthouse Pub. So glad to see them back on the tour trail. We are proud to again be a part of their annual American winter tour.

$25 advance, GA. No opener. Doors 30 minutes before show.

The duo will also play Corrales on Saturday, Feb. 18 (INFO HERE).