THIS WEEK A video has been doing the rounds on Facebook of a butcher singing and dancing with an elderly customer called Masie Crawford. The video, shared to Facebook by Masie’s granddaughter Ashley Leah has been warming hearts around the country since it was uploaded.
It features Masie going into Hegarty’s Butchers on William Street in Derry to ask “Where’s my boyfriend?” She’s immediately joined by Mark McCafferty who begins to serenade her.
Mark McCafferty spoke to Muireann O’Connell (who’s standing in for Dermot and Dave) on Today FM this morning.
He shared his story about the “special service” he offers in his butchers:
Usually when Masie comes in we would just burst into song, maybe from the other side of the counter we’d have a dance and a song. I think it lifts her spirits a wee bit when she’s in.
When the video was recorded, Masie had been unwell for a while and wasn’t able to make it into the shop as regularly as usual. Mark had noticed that she was missing while she was sick but was unaware of where she had gone.
Masie’s granddaughter brought her in to visit her “boyfriend” Mark and since the video went viral, Masie has been in brilliant form doing interviews and the likes.
Mark told Muireann O’Connell that he specifically learns old songs that his elderly clientele will appreciate, just to make the experience better for them. Mark said that there was no specific day when his singing began at work, that he had always been constantly singing behind the counter.
He noted that the vast majority of customers didn’t even acknowledge it, but Masie always joined in. According to Mark’s interview with Today FM, people would be looking at the pair singing and wondering what was going on.
The butcher has already been inundated with customers who now want a song and a dance from him.
Over the last couple of days, Mark has had his “feet danced off him.” He’s hoping Masie doesn’t find out that he’s been dancing with other customers.
Other staff in the butchers joke that McCafferty has ‘spontaneous carousing syndrome’ due to the fact that he could “burst into song at any time”.
