Shock at death of 'gentleman' businessman, former Cork estate agent and politician Pat Burton
Pat Burton
The unexpected death has occurred of well-known Cork figure Pat Burton, a former very successful auctioneer, farmer, publican, politician, and one-time school teacher.
Best known perhaps across property and valuation circles, and widely valued as a gentleman and ‘old school’ in his approach, the late Pat Burton was a Millstreet native who qualified in UCC and taught agricultural science in Davis College, Mallow, before switching his own focus to business and commerce.
He trained in the estate agency business in Irish & European on the South Mall before setting up Burton Crowley & O’Flynn in 1984, with close colleagues Bernard Crowley and Sheila O’Flynn.
Burton Crowley O’Flynn became one of the most successful Cork property agencies, very active in the burgeoning new homes sector, and it was sold in 2000 for a multi-million euro sum to Sherry FitzGerald as that agency started its national presence drive.
After the sale, the then-Cloghroe-based Mr Burton, a father of one, stepped back from frontline property sales, taking up dry stock farming.
He did a three-month cookery course in Ballymaloe and in 2014 he bought the former McCarthys Bar on the suburban Model Farm Road out of a three-year receivership, renaming it the Model Farm and taking on a staff of 20 while also being front-of-house himself.
At the time of buying and establishing the Model Farm, Mr Burton commented: “Life is for living, and this is another journey in life. I enjoy working with people.”
He was also very active in politics, serving a five-year term with Cork County Council from 2009, representing the wider Blarney area under a Fine Gael that: he ran for the Dáil in Cork North Central in 2011 – one of the very few ventures where he wasn’t successful, though his popularity endured, through all his wide circle of friends, acquaintances and local associations.
Aged in his late 60s, Pat Burton became ill unexpectedly in recent days and passed away overnight Tuesday/Wednesday.
News of his passing was met with shock across wide and disparate circles, in hospitality, estate agency, sports and politics, and with the unanimous observation that “he was always a gentleman.”
Pat Burton is survived by his wife Eileen, and their son Peter, with funeral arrangements in train.
