The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
And the beat goes on...
IT started as a way to entertain the public during lock-down, but now the Coffey family have launched their very own DVD of the songs that helped keep the country entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Coffey family from Beaufort spent lock-down recording their favourite songs in their garage and posting them online to help brighten up the public’s mood.
Last Sunday they posted their 74th song, and these songs have now all been compiled onto a DVD to help raise funds for charity.
Mike Coffey is best known for his band ‘ The Two Mikes and Family Ties’ but during lock-down it became even more of a family affair with Mike’s son and daughters joining in, including his youngest daughter Tara (7) as well as Leanne (13) and Paudie (21).
Support behind the scenes came from his wife, Karen, and daughters, Kathy and Rachel. Even Paudie’s girlfriend, Katie McCarthy, helped by recording the videos.
Mike was inundated with requests from around the world and at home in Kerry for songs, and he played these special requests and posted them online, with many of the posts reaching thousands upon thousands of hits.
“We started putting up songs in March when we couldn’t go out dancing. We were putting them up daily, but more recently we have just put them up at weekends.,” explained Mike.
“People did miss us, and we got requests from all over the country and from England and the US.”
Mike is a care-taker at Cullina National School, and this inspired him to choose the two dedicated autistic units at the school as a recipient of funds from the sale of the DVD.
He also chose the palliative care unit at University Hospital Kerry.
“I wanted to keep the funds local,” he said.
The DVD is a DVD with a difference as it was recorded in their garage in Beaufort, as there was no access to a recording studio due to COVID-19. It was then compiled by Cosmos Video Production in Milltown, who gave their services for free to support the local charities.
The DVD is on sale in local shops including Kissane’s foodshop, Carson’s Day-Break, and Cronin’s shop in Beaufort.
You can also email paudiecoffeybeaufort@gmail.com.