Feargal Sharkey
The distinctive, trembling voice of punk-pop classic 'Teenage Kicks' who later championed the rights of musicians and the health of UK rivers.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Northern Ireland singer·Birthday: August 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Feargal Sharkey sang 'Teenage Kicks' — the 1978 single that became a Northern Irish punk anthem and the lifelong signature of his quavering tenor. As frontman of the Undertones, he delivered urgent pop-punk songs about adolescent restlessness. After the band dissolved in 1983, his solo career produced the number-one hit 'A Good Heart' in 1985, written by Maria McKee. Born in Derry in 1958, Sharkey later left performing to become CEO of UK Music, lobbying Parliament for artists' compensation and copyright protections. In the 2010s, he redirected that combative energy into river conservation, leading campaigns against sewage dumping by water companies. He testified before government committees, filed legal challenges, and forced regulators to release pollution data. The punk frontman now spends his days reading water-quality reports and confronting executives. His voice still cuts through noise, but he uses it on parliamentary inquiries rather than recording studios.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Feargal was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Feargal Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Feargal's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- As lead singer of the Undertones, recorded the enduring punk-pop classic 'Teenage Kicks', famously adored by BBC DJ John Peel.
- Achieved a UK Number One solo single in 1985 with 'A Good Heart'.
- Served as the Chief Executive of UK Music, the industry's strategic body, advocating for musicians' rights and interests.
- Became a prominent and influential environmental campaigner, focusing on water quality and river pollution in the UK.
Did You Know?
He is a dedicated fly fisherman, a passion that fueled his interest in river conservation.
He turned down an invitation to join The Smiths after the Undertones disbanded.
He was awarded an OBE in 2019 for services to music and to the environment.
The Undertones' song 'Teenage Kicks' was the only record John Peel requested be buried with him.
He briefly hosted a music television show called 'The Beat' in the 1990s.
““I've gone from singing about teenage kicks to fighting for the future of our rivers. The passion's the same.””
