Fifteen-year-old Cookstown musician releases his first single

Whilst the singer-songwriter genre may often seem somewhat saturated with Ed Sheeran or Lewis Capaldi sound-a-likes in a contemporary sense, it’s always a delight to hear a voice or a song that truly stands out from the crowd.

One young man who has nailed both these aspects is 15-year-old Conan Gormley from Cookstown.

A student of St. Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon, Conan has recently released his first single ‘Just Fine’ – a self-penned and refreshing track that truly catches the ear of the listener.

Following his recent appearance at ‘A Festival for Matty’ in Kildress – an outdoor festival at Kildress Wolfe Tones GAC grounds that was held in memory of the late Cookstown man Matthew McGuigan who passed away in Australia last year – which saw Conan share a stage with such other talented local acts as Two Degrees, Tiny Green Island, The Muddlers Club, and Cara Monaghan, Conan spoke with the Tyrone Herald this week about his new single, music and his plans for the future.

“While the song isn’t about anyone specific, it tells the classic story of someone going through a break-up who wants one more chance,” explained Conan.

“I recorded it in Zero Hour Studio in Coleraine with Michael McCluskey, and it was officially-released on Friday, October 11.

“It’s available now on Spotify, Amazon and YouTube, and so far the feedback has been great.”

Boasting such an abundance of talent at such a young age, the Cookstown man explained what initially struck his interest in performing music.

“I started learning to play guitar during lockdown just for the craic, to give me something to do with all that spare time.

“My granda always played the guitar and we would always have music sessions around the house and I wanted to be a part of it.

“As soon as I picked up the guitar, I loved it and since August last year I have been gigging pretty steadily around the likes of Cookstown, Magherafelt, Moy, most South Derry and Tyrone at this stage.”

Reciting some his biggest musical influences as Zach Bryan and Noah Kahan, Conan’s setlist is a combination of some of his favourite songs along with what he describes as the ‘classic sing-a-longs’.

“I like a lot of the modern American country stuff,” he said.

“I play stuff like that with some classics thrown in their too, the likes of ‘Travellin’ Soldier’ by the Dixie Chicks, ‘This Is The Life’ by Amy Macdonald, and ‘Little Lion Man’ by Mumford and Sons.”

It’s been a busy year for the Cookstown singer as he explains, “I’ve been playing away and keeping busy.

“The Festival For Matty was my biggest gig yet and the crowd was amazing.

“But no matter where I’m playing I just love it, it’s always a good buzz.”

When he’s not entertaining audiences on the stage, the talented Cookstown man is also a keen footballer, playing soccer for Cookstown Youth, and gaelic with Cookstown Father Rocks and St Patrick’s Academy.

“I’ve been playing football since the age of six, but was always kicking a ball about from as far back as I can ever remember,” he said.

“I be flatout with the football too, and I’m looking forward to playing on for the Father Rocks U16’s again this year.”

Speaking of his hopes for the future, Conan said, “For now, I’m just going to see how this new single goes and then I plan on writing more music down the line with hopes of building a bigger following.

“I’ve been posting videos of myself singing on TikTok lately and they have been doing unbelievable.

“I have just reached 15.5k followers, it’s unreal.

“Aside from that, I want to keep focussing on my education and I hope to go on to university in the next few years.

“I’m not too sure what I want to study yet, but I would certainly like to be in a position to do music full-time in the future.”

Conan’s debut single, ‘Just Fine’, is available now via Spotify, Amazong and YouTube.