TENOR GAVAN SINGS AT NURSING HOME
CARLINGFORD opera star Gavan Ring has graced the stages of famous concert halls and opera houses around the world but lately he has been performing in a van!
Founded last year in response to the lockdown restrictions, ‘Festival in a Van’ has been bringing concerts and plays safely to venues throughout Ireland.
To date, the three specially adapted vans have brought 60 performances to eleven counties, setting up at care homes, schools, community centres, parks and housing estates.
They have been especially popular with nursing homes, whose residents have had activities curtailed due to the pandemic, and last week Festival in a Van visited three nursing homes in Louth, including Moorehall Lodge in Ardee ,St Oliver’s Dundalk, and Boyneview House, Drogheda.
The visit was organised by Louth County Council with funding from the Healthy Ireland/ Sláintecare/Community Resilience Fund 2020.
Gavan, who has taken part in a number of these Covid Care Concerts with ‘Festival in a Van’ including several in his native Kerry, sang a mixture of popular arias and much loved Irish songs.
While the weather was unseasonably cold, with sleet at one stage, it didn’t deter Gavan from entertaining both the residents and staff as he took to the stage of the van, which has been specially adapted for mobile arts events.
The visit was a real treat for the residents who have been missing out on many of their usual activities, while visits from family members have only recently resumed.