I’ve been a fan of Tom Mathews for probably forty years since his brilliantly droll cartoons began appearing in magazines and newspapers. Until recently. however, I didn’t realise that he’s also a singer – well, of sorts.
This image was shot at one of Paddy Goodwin’s legendary Drogheda gigs which, over the years, have featured a veritable hall-of-fame of Irish rock luminaries from the past thirty years or more.
In Tom Mathews’ case, I certainly didn’t expect the explosion of raw fury worthy of the original 1970s punks as he raged through a song advocating no less an act than burning down the Dail (the Irish Parliament).
The entire performance lasted no more than about three minutes, which was probably enough for a man who is officially a pensioner. A wonderfully off the conventional radar, glorious Dublin eccentric. The world needs a lot more of them right now.