FOR writer, musician and composer Thomas Kitt moving to West Cork eight years ago has proved to be a creatively rewarding decision.
The 46-year-old father-of-three comes from a musical family and was raised in the south Dublin suburb of Ballinteer.
BY DAVID FORSYTHE
Thomas says that music, writing and art have always been a part of his life.
‘I see life as art really, we all have our public and private selves and I think privately at least there’s always been a bit of a songwriter in me almost as a way of dealing with life,’ he said.
Thomas says that he is a writer first and foremost and the process of making music and putting it out in the wider world can be a daunting process.
‘Deep down I’m a writer so there’s always a bit of nervousness I suppose when you are putting something out. In 2007 I made an album, did the gigs, played Whelan’s and all of that. It was still very independent but I found it tough too. I suppose I was a little unguided but you just keep on with it.’
Thomas says that following the first album and being part of the live scene life took him in a different direction.
‘I went to Galway for a while and it was great being there, doing the whole walking in Connemara thing and all of that and since then I’ve been busy being a dad but the music doesn’t go away.
‘I’ve always taken the songs very seriously but I think I didn’t really start getting the message from some of those songs until 15 or 20 years later.’
Thomas has always taken artistic inspiration from his surroundings and moving to West Cork eight years ago gave him a new lease of creative life.
‘I was staying on a little headland at first when I came to West Cork and to be honest I fell in love with the place. I would describe it as magical and mystical and it seems to have become even more magical over the past few years. I adore characters and West Cork is full of them, and the further west you go, the more there seem to be!’
Now based near Timoleague, Thomas says that the locality has also brought an appreciation of nature to the fore in some of the songs he is writing now.
‘The newest crop of songs came from nature. I released The Little Robin last year and gradually it seems to have gained a bit of life. Sometimes when I play it live you can see the recognition in the audience.’
Often working with his cousin – producer Éamon Brady – Thomas says that he is currently developing a new song that will reflect an Easter and springtime theme.
‘I’ve definitely been very influenced by the nature of West Cork in these latest songs. My strength is writing and Éamon is the ears, I think you have to try to see your strengths and he acts as my filter in a way. I keep the music simple and just try to keep doing something new.’
Thomas usually performs by himself with a guitar and describes his sound as a ‘traditional, folky, open tuned style,’ that lends itself well to impromptu gigs and intimate surroundings.
He added: ‘Since I’ve been in West Cork I’ve really got into the whole traditional Irish scene here too which has been great. You have to walk a lot of footsteps and I’ve just been going with the
flow.’
Thomas plays regular gigs every Wednesday in the Tap Tavern in Kinsale and during the summer don’t be surprised to see him popping up at a festival or two.
‘Last year I did it in an almost troubadour style,’ he says.
‘I just got in the van and did a different kind of busking.
‘I’d play at a the singing nights in Ma Murphy’s in Bantry, maybe head on to Dingle and then a trad festival or something.’
For 2025 he says there is no plan as such but he will be on the road again singing his songs across West Cork and beyond.
‘The plan is there is no plan, in general I’m just observing life, writing and playing. I’m full of hopeful optimism, writing away and finding ways to express myself. I think we all have lots of masks we wear and we hide behind them sometimes but behind those masks are stories and it’s those stories I want to tell.’
• The Little Robin is available on Spotify and Thomas Kitt regularly plays Wednesdays in the Tap Tavern, Kinsale.
