Paul McSherry, hailing from west Belfast, began playing guitar in 1982 at the age of 14. Inspired by two other great guitarists from west Belfast, Maurice McHugh and Mark Kane, he was self-taught on DADGAD tuning.
He was a member of a band named the McSherrys who changed their name to Tamalin in the late 1980s. He also played in the Belfast band Commonalty who recorded an album in 1989, which was only released on cassette.
In 1997 Tamalin released their debut album Rhythm and Rhyme.
He has accompanied on stage and recorded with a wealth of well-known musicians including Liam O'Flynn, Paddy Keenan, Paddy Glackin, Cathal Hayden, Padraig Rynne, Tommy Peoples, Siobhan Peoples, Michael McGoldrick, Gerry O'Connor (banjo player), Kevin Crawford, Gerry O'Connor (fiddle player), and John McSherry as well as singers Tommy Makem and Brian Kennedy.