Athlone concert fundraiser this Tuesday for medical aid in Gaza
by Navjyoti Dalal
A group of young local musicians have organised an alternative rock, folk rock, and Irish traditional music performance to raise funds for Gaza.
Called 'Gig for Gaza', the concert will be held in the bar area at the Dean Crowe Theatre in Athlone this Tuesday, August 4, starting at 8pm.
Funds raised on the night will be sent to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). This humanitarian cause was taken up by five independent musicians, and a local band.
The musicians include singer and songwriter Kevin Donohoe whose stage name is Keeve, Stephen Heffernan, who performs Irish traditional music and contemporary piano arrangements, Japanese musician Hajime Takahashi on the guitar, along with singer and songwriter Sarah Donnelly.
Also performing will be Athlone-based punk rock band What's That Smell, featuring Fin Burn on vocals, Patrick Dunne on bass guitar, and Sean Berrill on drums. The performance will include a mix of original music and covers of popular songs.
Kevin, who is also the organiser of the event, told the Westmeath Independent the gig will support Castledaly humanitarian activist Brian Martin's cause to get medical aid to the Palestinians.
"I wanted to do this for my activist friend, Brian, who took on a hitchhiking adventure to reach Palestine with aid," said Kevin.
"The funds we raise from the performance will go to MAP, a charity Brian also supports. I urge everyone to come and attend the event, which will have music, special guests, and also a raffle supported by local businesses.
"The aim is to raise awareness of the situation in Gaza, and to bring people together through music," Kevin added.
The group has previously performed for the same cause, in November last year, as part of the Heartlands Pride festival.
Sarah Donnelly, an independent musician and a practising social care worker, is looking forward to recreating the experience next week.
"When I first heard about the situation in Palestine, I was distraught and felt entirely helpless. I realised music would be a good way to bring everyone together and to raise the needed funds for the families involved in this atrocity," she said.
"I reached out to different groups of people who felt the need to bring awareness to the situation and to raise money for those afflicted by the genocide.
"The Heartlands Pride Athlone group helped me massively with this fundraiser and brought everything together. Alongside the Heartlands Pride group and the Dean Crowe Theatre, we orchestrated a fundraiser with amazingly talented musicians and raised a lot of money.
"We had two people from Palestine at the event and that made it more meaningful and special," shared Sarah.
'Gig for Gaza' will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 8pm at the Dean Crowe Bar, with all of the proceeds going towards medical aid for Palestinians.
Tickets are priced at €10, including booking fee, and can be booked online on the Dean Crowe Theatre's website.