The Horner’s are globetrotting troubadours ‘The Sweet Sorrows‘ who entertain and inspire through music and story. They also utilise their own life-skills to help equip and minister to those in need, particularly where situations, culture and poverty have lead to disempowered and disenfranchised people groups. Together they travel as encouragers and love-sowers.
About Us
Sammy is an Irishman who wears many hats. He is a musician, a producer, an ordained pastor, electrician, teacher, artist and author. He is also a father and a grandfather. A gifted singer-songwriter, he has played guitar and bass since his teens, is the front man of Celtic rock combo ‘The Electrics’ and is credited with being the first to marry Celtic music and worship music.
Kylie is Australian, and has lived around the globe ( UK, Saudi Arabia, USA and Canada) and is now settled in Co. Wexford, Ireland. She worked as a nurse for 30 years before marrying Sammy and becoming one half of The Sweet Sorrows. Always a vocalist, she sang in bands and worship teams until life with Sammy led to picking up various musical instruments.
What Informs Us
“They say travel broadens the mind, but you must have the mind.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton.
Our life and work involve travel, lots of travel. We have been over a large part of this beautiful planet and met thousands of it’s beautiful inhabitants. For many years now we have taken seriously the ‘Celtic Way’. A life of faith, love, hospitality, encouragement, sharing, giving, resting, rhythm, art, education, community and peace. We are aware that life with all it’s flaws embraces all of these traits therefore common ground and inclusion, (rather than conflict and separation) seem like the best places to begin relationships with one another. So, a Celtic faith and a view point that encompasses the rhythms of all of life and a desire to relate to all out of this.
How We Serve
When you get to a certain age, you tend to have life skills from the journey. We like to call it ‘Trade-Off’. Sammy certified as an electrician out of school before going on to seminary and ultimately a Masters in Education. Kylie worked 30 years as a Registered Nurse. Together we have sought to plug in with others that were doing for those less fortunate. This has led us to pass skills on to those needing a way to keep hungry mouths fed and to educate others who can facilitate help in much better ways than we can since they are on the ground all the time where they are needed, notably the Thai/Myanmar border in Mae Sot, Thailand.
Electrical Tradeschool
Lack of electrical safety standards are rampant in SE Asia, thus our mandate is to ensure the highest possible training standards are adhered to, incorporating safe practice and compliance. Level 1 teaches all elements required to wire a small domestic dwelling. On successful completion, all participants are provided with a fully equipped tool belt and certificate of graduation.
First Response Medical Training
Everything from hand hygiene, wound care and manual blood pressure monitoring to adult/ pediatric BLS/CPR and associated cardiovascular system education. Local needs are assessed and local teams have input on the various opportunities for education. Essentially, how this relates practically, in a setting where there is no doctor, often the case in rural settings.
Aid To Ukraine
Relational and practical support are what we lead with when it comes to helping the vulnerable and victims. No less so in the present conflict in Ukraine. Sammy’s initial trip in May ’22 saw him bringing joy, medical supplies and meeting the needs brought to his attention as he sang with militia groups, spoke with families and was immersed in the realities that are the ugliness of war. Fund-raising continues as needs are constant and increasing, 4 trips completed to date (2025).
2024 saw us in India, as part of a team at a conference in Chennai and then we spent a very full week in Nallajerla, Andra Pradesh working with Faith In Action Ministries at a school… we talked, sang, led classes in english language, phys. ed, and more to 600 pupils between ages 4-15. Also sang for those in slums, aged care and a leper colony. We started 2025 in Thailand again working on the border and training Burmese in our Trade-Off Electrical skills, and ran our first Songwriting Workshop in the region with requests for more. We also played at a city-wide event in Pattaya called Pattaya Praise that is facilitated by Tamar House there a wing of YWAM in Thailand.
Our hospitality and respite opportunities here in Ireland have kept us busy and engaged.
2026 will see us starting the year again running our biggest training project yet in Mae Sot. An incident that happened after last Trade-Off which involved a new graduate saving a life back in Myanmar(electrocution of a young man), led to a request from higher up that has blown our minds. Our training has reached the ears of people who have a desire to see many there given skills that can no longer fight due to battle fatigue and PTSD. So our hope, desire and trust, is that we will train 100 trainers who will take skills back and facilitate our training to many more recipients! This will take more than we have but we have a Father who has no limits and loves our participation.
This was a long report but it was due and we are so grateful for the support, both prayer and physical, that we have and continue to recieve, that enables us troubadours to do all that we can for so many with needs.
Thanks for reading and too, if you think you can help in anyway, we’d love to hear from you.
Blessings,
Sammy and Kylie
More info on our Trade-Off page.