Iar-léachtóir i Scoil na Fisice, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh, is ea Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh, ach bhí a chroí riamh, agus go deimhin tá fós, i gcúrsaí ceoil agus amhránaíochta traidisiúnta. Is i mbaile fearainn Garbhleaca i bparóiste Ros Ó gCairbre agus Lios an Bhaird, cúpla míle siar ó Chlanna Caoilte, a mhair agus a mhaireann fós a mhuintir athartha, ach rugadh agus tógadh é ar fheirm bheag ar imeall Chathair Chorcaí. Is mar mhacléinn ollscoile sna 1970í a d’fhás spéis aige sa cheol agus san amhránaíocht thraidisiúnta, ach ba le linn tréimhse trí bliana a chaith sé i gContae an Chláir i dtosach na 1980í, i gCroisín agus in Inis, a d’fhás a spéis sa cheol Gaelach i ndáiríre. B’iomaí seisiún ann gur ghlac sé páirt iontu, ag tionlacan ar ghiotár agus ag casadh amhrán. Tháinig forbairt ar a chuid eolais agus tuisceana ar an sean-nós ó bheith ag freastal ar chruinnithe seachtainiúla Acadamh Fódhla i mBaile Bhuirne. Thosnaigh sé ag déanamh taighde ar bhailiúcháin d’fhilíocht na Mumhan ón 18ú agus 19ú haois curtha in eagar ag Pádraig Ua Duinnín, Risteárd Ó Foghludha, agus eile, ag tabhairt airde ar leith ar na dánta le foinn mholta a d’oir go foirfe don mheadaracht, mar nach mar sin i gcónaí dóibh. Ina theannta san, le cúnamh fial flaithiúil ó chairde agus comhghleacaithe i Scoil Léann na Gaeilge, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh, mhéadaigh a mheas ar liriciúlacht na filíochta ins na hamhráin Ghaolainne, ana-chuid acu taifeadta don chéad uair riamh, atá san leabhar+CD dúbailte nua-fhoilsithe aige, Seoda na Sean, Irish Songs c. 1650-1850 from Carbery, Muskerry and across South Munster.

Pádraig Mac Cárthaigh is a retired lecturer in the School of Physics UCC, but has always been immersed in traditional music and singing. His paternal relatives live in the townland of Garralacka, in the parish of Rosscarbery and Lisavaird, a few miles west of Clonakilty but he was born and raised in Cork on a small farm on the edge of the city. His interest in traditional music and singing grew as a university student in the 1970s, but it was over a period of three years in Co. Clare, in Crusheen and Ennis, beginning in 1980 that his interest fully blossomed, and he participated in numerous sessions in Ennis and its environs playing guitar accompaniment and singing. His knowledge and appreciation of sean-nós singing developed while attending weekly meetings of Acadamh Fódhla in Baile Bhuirne. He started research into 18th and 19th century collections of Munster Irish language poetry edited by Pádraig Ua Duinnín, Risteárd Ó Foghludha and others, paying particular attention to poems whose recommended airs matched the poetic metre perfectly, by no means always the case. In addition, he obtained very generous assistance from friends and colleagues in the School of Irish Learning UCC in developing a deeper appreciation of the lyricism in the songs in Irish, many recorded for the first time, that are in his newly published book+double CD, Seoda na Sean, Irish Songs c. 1650-1850 from Carbery, Muskerry and across South Munster.