Tomás McCarthy

Saturday 30 January 2010

TMS student Tomás McCarthy stepped up to the mark when he decided to put his talents to the test by entering RTE’s Young Peoples competition “The Guitar”. After making the top 10 and on preparation for the final results, Tomás has kindly agreed to go under the spotlight for us...


Q. Tell us about about yourself Tomás?

  1. A. Well, I’ve lived in Togher all my life and I grew up with my dad playing Rory Gallegher     and Jimi Hendrix on his van radio. My dad used to play guitar and I watched him anytime I heard him play. Music always fascinated me as a child and I had a passion for  being noisy!


  1. Q. How long are you playing?

  2. A. I can’t remember perfectly but I’d say about three and a half years.


  1. Q. Who are your music idols?

  2. A. Rory Gallegher, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ-Top, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Cork man Mick Flannery.


  1. Q. What type of music do you like to play most and why?

A. I play many types of music on both acoustic and electric guitar but my favorite type of    music has to be classical because no matter what the piece it can always relate to your feelings without having to express yourself through words.


  1. Q. Why did you decide to enter RTE’s “The Guitar” competition?

    1. A.It was actually my girlfriend Stéphanie Arcusa that pushed me to participate when she heard o the advert posted in Pro Musica, Cork. She insisted that I audition!!! She is always pushing me to do stuff in order to expand my skills and help me get noticed.


  3. Q. Tell us about the competition process?

  4. A.Well, it started off with an audition in Pro Musica before summer ‘09. I went in and they took some shots of me playing guitar, after that I got my entry number and they took all my details. Within the next week they called my mother and told her I had made the top 10. I found out when she picked me up from school that day.


  1. Q.How did you feel when you got the news?

  2. A.I was overjoyed with excitement and I felt so proud and surprised and of course, my girlfriend Stéphanie felt proud and extremely happy for me. My teacher, Mark O’Leary was delighted with me and he should be very proud of himself. It was his constant motivation and ability to teach that got me there. I always had an interest and skill in playing but after watching Mark play, anybody would want to play too.


  1. Q.Where do you see yourself going in the future then?

  2. A.I’m hopeful for many things in the future. I hope to go to college to study music, mainly the performance side.  I am working on some original music. I also hope to expand the views of the modern perception of rock, blues and classical to give teenagers a taste of real music... like I was taught. I also hope to become a musical icon in the future.....  but one step at a time!


  1. Q.Do you have any advice for other musicians?

  2. A.Open your mind to all types of music and don’t be afraid to express yourself. With enough willpower and practice you’ll naturally progress. If you don’t sing, play music or have some form of expression then find one because it is one of the best move’s you’ll ever make. It will serve you for life and it doesn’t take much.


Show your support for Tomás by tuning in to “The Guitar” on RTE this autumn and vote for TMS Cork rising musician.


You can also catch Tomás playing live by tuning in to Cork Radio Station, Life fm on 93.3fm or log on to www.lifefm.ie.

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