Crowds pack in to raise funds for Knockavilla mother, Fiona Dunne
A crowd of hundreds packed the village Hall in Knockavilla last Thursday night to witness a concert that was arranged to raise funds for a local mother, who is currently receiving medical treatment in the UK.
Fiona Dunne, a young mother of two received the bad news of a cancer diagnosis last year. She was told that she had two different types of cancer, in the eye and in the liver, and while she can get the treatment for her eye in Dublin, she would have to travel to Brighton in the UK for the treatment on her liver.
This of course meant that she would have a massive financial headache, and because of that, her family friends and the local community rallied around and set up a GoFundMe page to help defray some of the costs. But as well as that, they felt they wanted to do more, and with the help of Knockavilla Community Council, the idea of a local concert took shape.
Musicians from around the Knockavilla, Dundrum and surrounding areas, were asked to perform, and every one of them did so, without asking for a penny for their services. That concert took place over three hours last Thursday night. And what a night it was.
From the beginning, the young traditional musicians took to the stage and they got the crowd warmed up. Followed on by performances of song and dance from the likes of Anthony O’Connor and Lorcan Kennedy on guitar, Emer Lowth on vocals, Maura O’Brien on violin and the Burgess School of Dancing, set the first half scene.
More performances from the inimitable Dee Morrissey, who got the crowd jiving in the back, before two excellent female guitar players and singers in Michelle Slattery and Aoife Butler finished the night. Well almost, Dee, Michelle, Aoife and Lorcan came out one more time for the encore.
By the end of the night, almost eleven and a half thousand euros was raised, and everyone went home not just energised from the music, but also in knowing they were helping Fiona in her fight.
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