Courtmac’s song strikes right chord

A FORMER stockbroker has written a song about the coastal village of Courtmacsherry and its surrounds which is going down a storm with music lovers of all ages. 

Pat Sexton (59) whose late father was the general manager of Barryroe Co-op, has clocked up 20,000 views on various internet platforms (Facebook, TikTok, You Tube & Instagram) for the catchy tune which name-checks The Anchor Bar, Blind Strand, Timoleague Abbey, Dunworley and Harbour View. 

He retired four years ago, after a 25-year career as a stockbroker, and 10 years before that as an accountant. He lives in Lislevane, just a few miles from Courtmacsherry.

His interest in music started in 1977, at the age of 13, when punk rock bands began to get into the charts.

‘My mother bought me a guitar, and a book on how to play it. I could not even tune the guitar. I looked up the first position chord shapes in the book, and just practised them. Eventually, I was able to play a few chords. 

‘When I started work on the South Mall in Cork in 1983, one of the guys I worked with had a passionate interest in music, and liked all of the same kind I did, and introduced me to a lot new music that I was only barely aware of, such as Talking Heads, Echo and the Bunnymen – all in a broad category called ‘new wave’ at the time. I formed a band with him, and two other friends, and we deliberately came up with an unusual name This Is Not A Telephone. 

‘It was very much punk rock-influenced, with a lot of humour thrown in. We played one gig, in June 1987, in a bar called Mojo’s on Union Quay in Cork. About 200 people turned up!’

Since his retirement he’s had more time for music and started taking ‘improver’ guitar lessons.‘My guitar tutor suggested recording a song, and I wrote the Courtmacsherry Song. He had a drum machine, and dubbed the bass guitar part which I also played, on to the track. We had to do a few takes to get the timing of all the instruments up to recording standard, not many, and I was delighted with the final result. All of this was done with software that he had downloaded on his laptop. Technology makes that possible nowadays,’ said Pat. 

The tune, which can be found on YouTube, has captured the attention of the younger generation, he said, and it took off on social media. 

‘People say they can’t get the tune out of their heads once they hear it – they may not want to keep it in their heads, but it stays there!’ he said. 

On Sunday June 11th Pat will play at the Pier House in Courtmacsherry with more gigs to be announced. 

‘I am in the process of writing a few more songs, and will probably put an album of sorts up on Spotify.’