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THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU: The English Market in Cork is famous for many things, the piano music emanating from the Farmagate …

THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU: The English Market in Cork is famous for many things, the piano music emanating from the Farmagate Café being one of them.

Donal Casey has been tickling the ivories there - and at the Farmgate Restaurant in Middleton - for years. Entirely self-taught, the former county councillor with a mane of white hair has a seemingly endless repertoire and a very singular take on the old classics - from Cole Porter to The Old Bog Road. He is so much a part of the charm of the place that a group of fans, including the UCC lecturer and composer Mel Mercier, got together and produced a CD. You'll find it at both the cafe and restaurant for €20, with engaging notes written by Margaret O'Sullivan. It will get you singing . . . if only you could remember more than one line of the songs.