Tommy Hyland
Feb 28, 2021 Tommy Pham knows how lucky he was to be in the starting lineup for the San Diego Padres in their spring training opener, 4 1/2 months after he was stabbed in the lower back during an altercation.
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TEAM Hawkes makes a habit of coming first – both on and off the racetrack.
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- Hawkes Racing, comprising father John Hawkes and sons Wayne and Michael, is a leading trainer of thoroughbreds with stables at Rosehill and Flemington.
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Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes were the first three-person training partnership in Australian racing. They were the first training partnership to saddle up a runner in Sydney racing, winning with their first ever runner – Real Saga in the 2008 Listed Breeders Plate. They also prepared the first Group One winner by a training partnership in Sydney racing when Fiumicino won the 2009 The BMW on Golden Slipper Day at Rosehill Gardens.
After almost a decade in operation, the Team Hawkes stable has enjoyed unbridled success, producing more than 700 winners, 15 at Group One level, a total of 95 stakes wins and stable earnings exceeding $50 million.
The stable has enjoyed many memorable moments during this period, most notably with champion sprinter, Chautauqua. The “Grey Flash” was the world’s top-rated sprinter in 2016 and 2017 and has built an outstanding race record, both nationally and abroad.
Hall of Famer John Hawkes regards Chautauqua’s stunning last-to-first effort in the 2016 Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize in Hong Kong as the highlight of his training career.
“A few things went wrong before that race, Chautauqua lost a shoe twice, and then to see him get so far back early, where it looked like he was giving away too big a start, and still get up to win in Hong Kong was probably the greatest thrill I’ve had in racing,’’ Hawkes said.
Chautauqua stunned the huge Sha Tin crowd with his incredible finishing burst, turning likely defeat into an improbable victory – which is what the great gelding has become famous for.
Just think of Chautauqua’s amazing and historic three-peat in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick during The Championships (2015-16-17), and his unforgettable efforts to win the 2015 Group One Manikato Stakes and 2016 Group One Lightning Stakes.
Chautauqua has already won 12 races and nearly $8 million prizemoney, placing him fifth on the all-time earnings list.
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Team Hawkes hasn’t relied on Chautauqua, either, to make their presence felt at feature race level. The stable has had production line of outstanding gallopers since 2008 including the exciting All Too Hard.
Being Black Caviar’s half-brother, All Too Hard – and Team Hawkes – was always under scrutiny from the moment the boom colt stepped onto the racetrack but he delivered and then some during a brilliant race career.
All Too Hard won seven of his 12 starts, earning over $2.2 million in stakes. He was a four-time Group 1 winner of the 2012 Caulfield Guineas, then in 2013 the CF Orr Stakes, Futurity Stakes, All Aged Stakes, while he also ran a very good second in the 2012 Cox Plate.
The best of All Too Hard’s race career might have been ahead of him but it wasn’t surprising when the prized colt was rushed to stud at the end of his three-year-old season. The young stallion is already making his make as a sire.
This has been a noticeable trait of the Hawkes stable over the years – their proven ability to develop well-bred colts into top class racehorses and setting them up to be commercial stallion prospects.
The likes of top colts Divine Prophet, Star Turn and Swear were retired at the end of their three-year-olds seasons in 2016-17, having achieved enough on the racetrack to convince the breeding industry of their credentials as sires.
Team Hawkes has also celebrated big-race wins with brilliant filly Mossfun (2014 Golden Slipper), Niwot (2012 Sydney Cup), Inference (2017 Royal Randwick Guineas) and from top class gallopers like Love Conquers All, Messene, Leebaz and Maluckyday.
These stable triumphs are a continuation of Hall Of Famer John Hawkes’s phenomenal training career. He is regarded as one of Australia's all-time great trainers with a career total of 110 Group One winners so far to be fifth on the all-time trainers' list of major race winners. However, Hawkes admits he regrets his sons did not get officially acknowledged for their contributions to many of his successes until the training partnership was established.
'I'm glad the boys are with me now in a partnership and they can get some recognition for their hard work,’’ John Hawkes once said.
The champion trainer pointed out that his sons had been working with him for nearly 20 years and “even though we don't have the numbers now, the system is still the same. Nothing has changed in that regard.'
And the system works very, well. With Michael in charge of the main stable base at Rosehill Gardens and Wayne holding the reins at the team's Flemington stable base, John splits his time between the two states as the winners keep flowing from Team Hawkes.
Tommy Sands performs in a joint Israeli-Palestinian demonstration in Sheikh Jarrah against house evictions of Palestinians by Israeli courts. | |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 December 1945 (age 75) |
| Origin | Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Irish Folk, Celtic |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, radio broadcaster, political activist |
| Instruments | Guitar, Whistle, Banjo, Fiddle, Bodhrán, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s-present |
| Associated acts | The Sands Family, Tommy Sands with Moya and Fionán Sands |
| Website | www.sandfamilyfolk.com tommysands.com |
Tommy Sands (born 19 December 1945)[1] is a Northern Irish folk singer, songwriter, radio broadcaster, and political activist. He performs with his three siblings as The Sands Family; solo as Tommy Sands; and with his son and daughter as Tommy Sands with Moya and Fionán Sands.[2] Tommy was the prime songwriter for The Sands Family, one of Ireland's most influential folk groups of the 1960s and '70s.[3][4]
Tommy Sands has hosted Country Céilí, a radio show on Downtown Radio in Newtownards since 1976.[3]
His song 'There Were Roses' has been described as '... certainly one of the best songs ever written about the 'Irish Problem'.[5]
In May 2002 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno for his outstanding work as musician and ambassador for peace and understanding. May 18 of each year has been proclaimed Tommy Sands Day in Reno.[5]
Early life[edit]
Tommy Sands was born on the family farm on the 'Ryan Road'[6] in the townland of Ryan, near Mayobridge, County Down, Northern Ireland.[7] His parents, Mick and Bridie, both came from families of singers, musicians and storytellers and encouraged a love of Irish culture and tradition in their seven children (Mary, the eldest, then Hugh, Ben, Colum, Eugene and Anne.[8]) .[7] His father Mick (known to all as 'The Chief'[6]) and six uncles played the fiddle. His mother Bridie, an accordionist, is the daughter of 'Burren poet', Owen Connolly, and her mother was related to the Brontë family.[9] Their Céilidh house on the Ryan Road, in the foothills of the Mourne Mountains,[3] was a focal point for Catholic and Protestant neighbours from nearby farms to enjoy music and craic.[7][3]
Sands initially attended college to study theology and philosophy, but dropped out and began to walk the 120 miles home to concentrate on his music career. Along the way a car filled with his siblings picked him up to perform at a concert.[3]Colum rolled down the window and said: “We’re going to play at a concert. We’ve got your guitar in the back of the car.” So Tommy joined them. He and they have never looked back! ('Newry Memoirs – Pride of Mayobridge')[8]
The Sands Family[edit]
The Sands Family (Tommy, Eugene, Ben, Colum and Anne)[3] started public performing in local halls and pubs, then they won a 'Folk Group' contest in 'Old Shieling Hotel' in Raheny, Dublin. This led to a three-week booking in New York in early 1971[7] (or 1970[3]) followed by further tours in the US and Canada. They also performed a Saint Patrick's Day concert appearance in Carnegie Hall.
Their 35-year touring career includes regular tours throughout continental Europe, especially Germany, as well as the UK and Ireland.[7][3] One notable highlight was performing in Moscow's Luzhniki 'Olympic' Stadium,[5] Tommy was the prime songwriter with the Sands Family, whose repertoire largely consists of their own compositions as well as traditional Irish songs.[7]
During the 1975 'Sands Family' tour of Germany Tommy's brother Eugene was killed in a road accident.[3] 'Dino' played banjo and mandolin.[6]
Since the early 2000s the Sands Family have restricted touring to an annual tour of Germany and Ireland.[3]
Solo career[edit]
Tommy Sands' iconic and best known song is 'There Were Roses' that recounts how Allan Bell (name changed), a Protestant friend of Sands, was murdered in Newry by republican paramilitaries. In the aftermath loyalist paramilitaries 'prowled round the Ryan Road' for a Catholic to kill in retaliation; ironically, the man they selected, Sean O'Malley (name changed), had been a good friend of the Protestant victim and also of Sands. It was first recorded by Robbie O'Connell with Mick Moloney and Jimmy Keane as the title track on their first album. Tommy Sands also recorded his own version as the opening track of his 1985 album Singing of the Times.
The song has also been recorded by Joan Baez, Kathy Mattea, Dolores Keane, Sean Keane, Frank Patterson, Paddy Reilly, Dick Gaughan, The Dubliners, Cara Dillon, Lisa McHugh and many others. It has also been translated into many languages and is currently included in the English language syllabus in German secondary schools.[5][10]
In Belfast, during the depths of The Troubles in August 1986, Sands organised a 'Citizen's Assembly' which included many of Ulster's top artists and literary figures.[3]
In December 2002 Sands persuaded the Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to record a special 'Christmas musical party' for his weekly radio show. As many Members sang with him on stage David Ervine, the leader of the Loyalists remarked 'Tommy Sands is the only man, without a private army, who can intimidate me.' The radio show received a special award at the 'World Festival of TV and Radio' in New York.[5]
In September 2008 Tommy Sands was invited to perform at the Library of Congress with his daughter Moya and son Fionán, as part of the Rediscover Northern Ireland Program. The event was co-sponsored by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and the American Folklife Center.[11]
In June 2010 Sands accepted the invitation of Palestinian and Israeli activists conducting a joint campaign at the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, to come and perform at a rally held to protest Israeli settlers evicting Palestinian Sheikh Jarrah residents and taking over their homes.
Discography[edit]
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The Sands Family recordings[edit]
Solo recordings[edit]
| Album | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Singing of the Times | 1985 | Album included both 'Daughters and Sons' and the iconic ballad 'There Were Roses' about the murders of two of his friends.[3] |
| Down by Bendy's Lane: Irish Songs and Stories for Children | 1988 | Tommy's young children Fionán and Moya, were amongst the performers.[12] Included 'Tell me a story'; 'Art'; 'Neart and Ceart'; 'Fair Rosa'; 'Bonnie wee house of Iveagh'; 'Banana song'; 'Story of Willie Brennan'; 'Down by Bendy's Lane'; 'Ceann Mor'; 'The old sow'; 'Moya is my darling'; 'Night night sleep tight and Einini'.[10] |
| Hedges of County Down | 1989 | Featured traditional Irish material including 'The hedges of Co Down'; 'The maid of Ballydoo'; 'Lovely Irish maid'; 'Twa corbies'; 'Age of twenty one'; 'Reilly from Co Cavan'; 'Ballynure Ballad'; 'Star of the Co Down'; 'Si do mhaigh mo i'; 'Boys of Mullaghbawn'; 'The Granemore hare'; 'Dunn'; 'Paddy's green shamrock shore'.[10] |
| Beyond the Shadows | 1990 | Featured his own material including 'The County Down'; 'Shadow of O'Casey'; 'Dresden'; 'We will rise again'; 'Flower of Fiddlers Green'; 'When the boys come rolling home'; '1999'; 'The clown'; 'No sleep tonight'; 'Red wine'; 'Home away from home'; 'Make me want to stay'.[10] |
| The Heart's a Wonder | 1995 | Included 'The music of healing' (with Pete Seeger); 'Who knows where the wind blows'; 'Sudako' (and the paper cranes); 'The age of uncertainty'; 'Irish Molly-o' (the sash); 'Back to school again'; 'Short cut through the fields' (with Dolores Keane); 'The day we won the All Ireland'; 'I hate to hear people cry'; 'A little bit more'; 'Sailing through the sky'; 'Goodbye love'; 'There's no one leaving'. The Music of Healing, which was co-written with American folk singer Pete Seeger became an anthem for the Northern Ireland 'Citizen's Assembly'. It was also the first collaboration with cellist Vedran Smailovic from Sarajevo.[10] |
| Where Have All the Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger. | 1997 | Included both Vedran Smailović and Dolores Keane on the title track.[10] |
| To Shorten the Winter | 2006 | Includes Christmas songs 'Like the first time it's Christmas time', 'Down by the Laganside', 'The Bushes of Jerusalem', 'Whiter Shade of Pale', 'Hearts of Love', 'A Christmas Childhood/ a call to hope', 'Welcome here kind stranger', 'Raglan Road', 'Slainte mhaith'/the cat in the attic, 'Let me be your island', 'The mixed marriage', 'Matt Hyland', 'Slan Abhaile'.[10] |
| Let the Circle Be Wide | 2009 | Including 'Young Man's Dream' (Danny Boy), 'The Song Sings On' (Ballad of Tommy Makem), 'The People Have Spoken', 'You Will Never Grow Old', 'Send for Maguire', 'Keep on Singing', 'A Stor Mo Chroi', 'Rovers of Wonder', 'Make Those Dreams Come True', 'Ballyvalley Brae', 'Time for Asking Why', 'Fields of Daisies', 'Rambling Wild and Free', 'Carlingford Bay', 'Let the Circle be Wide',[7][10] |
| Arising from the Troubles | 2011 | Including 'Song of Erin', 'A Stone's Throw', 'The Mixed Marriage', 'We'll Sing It All Over', 'Bloody Sunday', 'Have You Seen Joe Cahill', 'The Road to Aughnacloy', 'A Call to Hope', 'You Sold Us Down the River', 'Troubles', 'Bessbrook Lament', 'All the Little Children', 'Sailing Through the Sky', 'A Quiet Man', 'The Music of Healing', 'Carry On', 'Silent No Longer', 'Down by the Lagan Side' [10] |
Other work[edit]
Sands co-wrote the stage musical, The Shadow of O'Casey with Shivaun O'Casey, the daughter of playwright Seán O'Casey.[3]
Tommy Sands has hosted Country Ceili, a radio show on Downtown Radio in Belfast since 1976[3] (or August 1977[13]).
In 2005 he published his autobiography, The Songman – A Journey in Irish Music.
Personal life[edit]
Tommy Sands currently lives in Rostrevor with his French wife Catherine.[8] They have two children, Moya and Fionán, with whom Tommy now performs.
References[edit]
- ^'International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002', by Eur
- ^The American Folklife Centre – Tommy Sands
- ^ abcdefghijklmnAnswers.com Tommy Sands biography
- ^Tommy Sands.com
- ^ abcdeDna Users, Biography of Tommy SandsArchived 22 February 2013 at Archive.today
- ^ abcCulture of Northern Ireland, NIMIC Hall of Fame – The Sands Family, Geoff Harden traces the Sands' musical family treeArchived 8 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abcdefgSands Family Folk, The Sands Family: Biography.Archived 3 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ abcNewry Memoirs, Pride of Mayobridge, Tommy Sands
- ^Ben Sands profile at 'Last FM'
- ^ abcdefghiTommy Sands.com Discography
- ^Library of Congress – Government Today. Feature – Tommy Sands
- ^Apple-seed Music, Biography of Tommy Sands
- ^Downtown Radio, Tommy Sands – presenter profile
Further reading[edit]
Tommy Hyland Card Counting
- The Songman – A Journey in Irish Music by Tommy Sands. (2005)
- Tommy Sands songbook Published by Elm Grove Music, 50 Shore Road, Rostrevor, Co Down, BT34 3AA, N. Ireland.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tommy Sands (Irish folk singer). |