Coolcappa music group and Liam Woulfe
Coolcappa Music Group Variety Concert
A very successful concert organised by Coolcappa Music Group was held at Rathkeale House Hotel on Saturday night last. This feeder event was one of many in aid of the main Joanne McMahon thanksgiving fund and a large crowd was in attendance. The fund commenced in December, and covers 131 days. This was the exact number of days that Joanne spent in St James’ Hospital in Dublin. The fundraising will continue up to the walk/run/cycle finale in Castlemahon in April. From 7pm the atmosphere began to build as the crowd began to pour in, similar to the outside pouring rain. It was all hands on deck for the organisers, who were very efficient getting people in, and seated.
Paddy Quilligan was on stage to warm up the crowd as the acts were lined up to perform. Joe Carrig, and Frances Kennedy were joint presenters and they played starring roles in the proceedings. Their engagement with one another and with the audience, had everybody in stitches. Frances was hilarious and her jokes bordered on the verge at times, but were most enjoyable.
The concert commenced at 8.15pm with Coolcappa Music Group displaying their talents. This group has made rapid progress since they came together in recent years. They began learning instruments and playing sessions in each other’s houses, and have developed their musical and performance levels, in the intervening years. The performers on stage included All Ireland champions and the best in their chosen fields. It was a quality list of musicians, singers, dancers, and story tellers, whose performance levels matched the expressions of joy on their faces.
A highlight of the night was the sister act from two of the more senior per-formers, Nora Kennedy and Kitty O’Donoghue, nee Carrig. Their version of I wish I had Someone to Love Me, and Brown Bread had the audience singing joyously along with them. Brown Bread was written by Kitty and the song is about growing up in their native place around Creeves Cross.
The organisers were inundated with spot prizes, and despite bulking them together it took 40 minutes to conduct the raffle. Seán Carrig got the second half of the night off to a rocking start, and the high standard continued into the early hours of Sunday morning. The artists who performed on the night are too nume-rous to mention, but they are to be complimented for sharing their talents before a very appreciative audience.
This was the most high profile event to date and it was wonderful to see Joanne and her family present, and enjoying the talent on stage. It was a night of thanksgiving and community spirit that oozed generosity from all present. We must say a big thank you to the hard-working committee who made it all possible and all others who gave of their time for free. A sizeable amount of money was raised which will go to the Burns Unit of St James’ Hospital in Dublin.
The fundraising continues with a lot of diverse events lined up in the coming weeks. Liam Woulfe, on behalf of the main fundraising committee spoke about Joanne and the fundraisers on the night. People who have ideas, or wish to hold a fundraiser in their area, should contact Liam on 087-2410606.