Christy waxing lyrical about Cork as he takes a 'sonic walking tour' of Leeside

A new Christy Moore song has been made available exclusively to Cork radio stations 12 days before the rest of the country.

Claddagh Records has made the unreleased track, ‘The Big Marquee’, available to all Cork radio stations, including college and community stations, from today.

The song is taken from the album A Terrible Beauty, which will be released worldwide on Friday, November 1. 

The song takes the listener “on a sonic walking tour” of the ‘real capital’, with lyrics referencing places like Sherkin Island, Haulbowline, the Jack Lynch Tunnel, and The Metropole.

It also name-checks well-known Cork figures, such as Caitríona Twomey, John Spillane, and Ricky Lynch.

Marquee

Of the ‘The Big Marquee’, which Moore wrote to express his love and respect for Cork, he says: “Michael Devine and I were heading to Cork to play in The Big Marquee.

“This event has been running for the past 18 years and I’m happy to say that I’ve played it every year bar one. The location is perfect.

“On the banks of the River Lee, in a leafy industrial suburb within walking distance of the city centre. There is a magic about this gig. I thought to write a song about it.

“Apart from Karl Marx, Puccini, Joe Mac and Queen Elizabeth, I’ve met all those mentioned in the song. I first sang it in Cork’s Opera House at a concert to honour Don O’Leary.”

On signing with Claddagh Records, Moore said: “I was very taken with the Universal approach to two retro albums that came about when they acquired labels that had gone to sleep.

“When I saw the work they did on the Paddy Kavanagh album, my curiosity peaked.

“I met the ‘man from Universal’ by chance one day and complimented him on recent releases.

“He mentioned that he would like to work with me and that Claddagh Records was being revitalised… and here I am.”