MacCarthy, Jimmy (1953

Guitarist and singer-songwriter from Macroom, County Cork, Ireland, who started out busking and doing the pub circuits, sometimes opening for other acts.

He and Declan Sinnott were in a group named Southpaw in 1978 and after they disbanded, Jimmy retained bassist Johnnie Campbell and drummer Dave Whyte for his own Jimmy MacCarthy Band.

In 1981, he issued his first solo 45, “Miles of Eyes” on the Mulligan Records label. He followed it up with “Like in the Movies”. Christy Moore recorded his original composition, “Ride On”, and it met with immediate success. In 1987, he released his own “Adam at the Window”.

His first album, The Song of the Singing Horseman, hit the shelves in 1991. It contained the songs, “A Hard Man to Follow”, “Mystic Lipstick” and “On My Enchanted Sight”. This was followed by The Dreamer in 1994, which featured “Lorraine”.

In 1998, he teamed up with Frances and Mary Black, Mary Coughlan, Tommy Fleming, Christy Moore and Maura O’Connell on Warmer for the Spark: The Songs of Jimmy MacCarthy Volume One. Among the songs on this album were “The Mad Lady and Me” and “My Singing Bird”.

He appeared with George Martin at the National Concert Hall in Dublin in October 1999, when he covered “She’s Leaving Home” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

In 2002, he released The Moment, which featured “The Music of Love”. He also went on a book and song tour from September to December.

He purchased Thomas Moore’s old Jenkinstown House in 2006, and turned part of it into a performance venue, which he dubbed Thomas Moore Theatre.

He and several other acts such as Ronan Keating, Brian Kennedy and Westlife appeared on an album entitled Tuesday’s Child for charity in 2007. Included on the album was Jimmy’s own “Wonder Child”.

In 2008, he unveiled his new band, featuring bassist Eleanor Healy and percussionist Martin Leahy. The keys of Macroom were bestowed upon him in April for his songwriting achievements.

He went on tour in the summer of 2009 which included stops at the Cork Opera House, Galway Town Hall, and aforementioned National Concert Hall.

In 2010, he went on another tour which featured return engagements at Cork Opera House and National Concert Hall, plus a date at the Wexford Opera House. Hey-Ho Believe was issued on 25^th October. By the end of the year, he was back on the road, this time with keyboardist Graham Henderson and multi-instrumentalist Donal Lunny.

Jimmy’s compositions have been immortalized in No Frontiers: The Jimmy MacCarthy Songbook.

For more information this prolific composer, check out his autobiography, Ride On: In Song and Story.

The Celtic Tenors recordings
Still By Your Side (Jimmy MacCarthy/Feargal Murray)
Telarc 80667 (CD: Remember Me)

Sources:

MacCarthy, Jimmy (1953–Present)

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