Pieta House Online Fundraiser:
The video is available to view by clicking here ‘Herlihy’s Rambling House‘
Alternatively, it is also available to view in the ‘Members Area’.
Bringing Home, The Christmas: An Evening of Traditional, Music, Song, Dance and Storytelling from Herlihy, Farranfore.
The year 2020 has been like no other in any of our lifetimes, or indeed thankfully in many lifetimes. It has been a year when the world ground to a halt and loneliness and isolation enveloped us all like a pall. Therefore, in an effort to end the year on a somewhat lighter note and raise funds for Pieta House, Tralee, “Maura’s Rambling House”, has come alive again albeit virtually and online! All the ‘usual suspects’, and a few new ones have been ‘rounded up’ for an evocative evening of traditional music, song, dance and storytelling, all courtesy of YouTube. The video, which goes live during Christmas week, will be available to view and for donations on YouTube until the end of January 2021 and beyond if donations continue to flow.
Those participating in this very special online Christmas Rambling House range in age from just three years old – 90 years young! They include Seanchaí Ray O’Sullivan and daughter Lauren, the Evans family (John, Sheila, Sean, Bridann, Tadgh together with their uncle Timmy) from Keel, Castlemaine, Bríd O’Shea, Farranfore and her brother Mícheál (online from Mexico!), Nancy O’Connor, Currans, Kirril and Michael Healy, Kilcummin, legendary box player Mike Brosnan, Muckross, Anne Marie Nelligan, Currow, Tony O’Brien, Firies, Michael Allen (Tipperary), Diarmuid and Orna Keane, Dromore, Farranfore. Special Rambling House guests are Senator Mark Daly, Cathoirleach, Seanad Eireann, Deputy Danny Healy Rae and Councillor Maura Healy Rae.
Behind the Scenes, Currow native, Robert McGuire has done trojan work on the production of the YouTube video and it shows. He has put together a wonderful two-hour musical extravaganza for you all to enjoy, over Christmas and the New Year. A magnificent digital poster was created by Catherine Teahan (ctdesign), Caragh Lake. This poster features a beautiful photograph of Herlihy’s, taken by John Reidy on the night, when Marie O’Sullivan pulled the last pint, in the public house owned by her family since 1912 (Women’s Christmas 2017). All was not lost however, as in 2018 like the Phoenix it re-emerged from the ashes as quirky self-catering accommodation.
Like all other charities, fundraising efforts for Pieta House have been severely impacted upon by the current Pandemic and demand has never been higher. Pieta House offers free counselling to those suffering from suicidal ideation and to people who are engaging in self-harm. Pieta operates a Suicide Bereavement Counselling Service providing free counselling, therapy and support to individuals, couples, families, and children who have been bereaved by suicide. Staff are fully qualified and provide a professional one-to-one therapeutic service.
Since March 2020, there crisis help line has answered over 10,000 calls directly relating to suicide, self-harm, and suicide bereavement. On October 6, 2020, a new nationwide, free video counselling service was launched. The new service, will be provided in addition to Pieta’s phone therapy and ‘in-person’ counselling service. This service, which consists of a session with a specialist therapist, now aims to bridge the gap for those who may be restricted through lock-down or for whom their local Pieta centre is not yet open due to COVID-19.
How to contact Pieta:
To avail of Pieta services, which are free of charge, please visit www.pieta.ie for all centre contact details. Pieta provides 24/7 support – if you are suicidal, self-harming or bereaved you can contact Pieta 24/7 via the Freephone crisis helpline on 1800 247 247, you can also text HELP to 51444 (standard message rates apply).
Thank You:
Marie would like to thank all of those involved in bringing Herlihy’s alive for this very special fundraising Rambling House and urges everyone near and far to go online, for a ‘cracking good show’ and to donate as much as you can to Pieta House, via the GoFundMe Donate button.
ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO DIRECTLY TO PIETA HOUSE, TRALEE.
