The Sands Family
From County Down
Popularity
The Sands Family has one upcoming show in the Netherlands: on February 7, 2027 at Theater de Koornbeurs, Franeker.
About
The Sands Family is a folk band from Mayobridge in County Down, made up of siblings who built a touring career on their own songs and traditional Irish material. Tommy Sands, the best known of them as lead singer and songwriter, plays alongside his brothers Ben and Colum and sister Anne. Eugene was part of the original lineup until he died in a car accident in 1975, after which they carried on as a foursome. A win in a folk group contest at the Old Shieling Hotel in Raheny, Dublin, led to a booking in New York in early 1971, then more tours of the US and Canada, including a Saint Patrick's Day show at Carnegie Hall. Over nearly four decades they have toured continental Europe, Germany above all, as well as the UK and Ireland, and even played Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. These days they keep it to an annual run through Germany and Ireland, and Tommy, Colum and Ben each have solo careers too.
