Born and raised in Keady, Co Armagh, Tommy was exposed to the music which would shape his life from an early age as his mother, Sarah Makem, was herself a distinguished folk musician.
Tommy's move to the United States in the 1950s was the catalyst for a career which would last for many years.
He teamed up with the Clancy Brothers and in 1961 he was named among the most promising newcomers on the American folk scene alongside the now-legendary musician Joan Baez.
Along with the Clancy Brothers, Tommy played to massive crowds in such iconic venues as New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall.
A solo career then beckoned, and from 1969 he went on to grace the stages of Madison Square Garden in New York and Sydney Opera House.
His career also embraced television work, and he completed series for Scottish Television, the BBC and Ulster Television, among others.
In 1975 the magical combination of Clancy and Makem was reunited after Tommy and Liam Clancy were each booked to play a festival in Cleveland Ohio, at which they were persuaded to do a set together. The partnership was to last another 13 successful years.
Matthew McCreary
Belfast Telegraph, 2007