An open mic CD has been released in aid of the Sunni-Mae Trust. James Falconer reviews…
A fantastic compilation of original music was recorded by musicians and songwriters from the Galway scene.
Contributors to the CD are all regular performers at the Sunday night open mic in Róisín Dubh. Among the 14 acts featured are musicians such as Steven Sharpe, Tara Stacey, Pa Reidy, and Padraig Jack, to name a few. The Open Mic Vol.1 was officially launched on Sunday 17 February in the popular Dominick Street venue.
The idea of recording this Open Mic compilation was born over the New Year period. MC’s Keith Emmett and Tracy Bruen were acutely aware of the array of original and talented performers who play week in week out. Their expectations of first-class shows grew and grew and over the New Year break they realised that they had to record these great artists.
The CD is bursting with variety and quality. Once Keith and Tracy proposed the idea to some of the regular artists, things quickly snowballed from there. The music staff at the Róisín Dubh agreed to fund the production of the album. Keith’s brother, Robert Emmett, chipped in with the design work and one by one, the tracks started to roll in from the artists. Keith said; “It all ran very smoothly and it was a real pleasure to be involved in.”
All the proceeds from the sale of the CD will go to the Sunni-Mae Trust. Lily-Mae Morrison, who is 4 years old, was diagnosed last year with a rare form of cancer called Neuroblastoma. This type of cancer affects 1 in 100,000 children in Ireland.
Lily-Mae is the daughter of dancers Judith Sibley and Leighton Morrison who are best known in Galway for their work with Chrysalis Dance and Youth Ballet West. The family face a long battle and need to raise significant funds to help with their fight.
The Sunni-Mae Trust for Lily-Mae was officially launched last year. There is a 70% chance that Lily-Mae will relapse and in that event the family would need to travel to the United States or Germany to avail of cutting edge treatments that are not available in Ireland. Any additional money raised will go to the Neuroblastoma Society to assist research into the appalling disease, which remains massively underfunded.
To help Lily-Mae you can drop in to Róisín’s to buy the CD or donate to the Sunni-Mae Trust – www.idonate.ie/372_sunni-mae-trust.html, or telephone (086) 408 9074. Any support is greatly appreciated.
