Brush-dancing and bodhráns entertain at Rambling House
SERVICE users at St John of God’s and Kerry Parents and Friends Association joined forces last week to host their very own rambling house to raise funds for charity.
The idea behind the hugely successful event was for service users to give back to the local community which does so much fundraising for them.
Voluntary musicians and teachers Adrian Moriarty and Mary Donegan worked with local service users to help them hone their skills in dancing and singing and to prepare them for a public performance.
The service users learned the brush-dance as well as the Bodhrán and some also learned traditional songs, and they got a rousing applause when they gave a wonderful performance at St Mary’s Hall in Killarney last Wednesday. The group was supported by a host of voluntary musicians, including some members of Kilcummin Comhaltas, and other local organisations attended the rambling house. The service users chose the Palliative Care Unit at University Hospital Kerry as one of their chosen charities in memory of a Robert O’Dowd, who was an employee of
St John of Gods. Their other chosen charity was Arlington Lodge, caring for the homeless in Tralee. €500 was raised from the event for the two charities but such was its success that it is hoped that service users will attend other rambling houses in Kerry and showcase their new skills.
Killarney Community Programme Facilitator Angie Kissane said that they now hope to build on the success of the event.
“This was our first time doing this, but we are hoping to do it on a bigger scale next time. We got great support from the local community,” she said.
“We want to thank the voluntary musicians and the local businesses who helped support the event.”