Cork's Greatest Records: Seán Ó Sé on his classic hit, An Poc Ar Buile

B-Side the Leeside: As he gets ready to celebrate his 85th birthday, Seán Ó Sé tells the inside story of his 1962 hit that was also the first Irish-language song to make such an impact

Seán Ó Sé. Picture: Denis Minihane

Gathering dust in an attic or buried in an old cardboard box, there may still exist a reel-to-reel tape recording of three people singing together the song that formed a celebrated musical bond between them.

The song was ‘An Poc ar Buile’ and the trio comprised its composer Dónall Ó Mulláin, tenor Seán Ó Sé, and Seán Ó Riada, whose band Ceoltóirí Cualann had with Ó Sé recently enjoyed what has come to be regarded as the first pop record ‘hit’ in the Irish language.