Singers join together for Claregalway’s Tiny Dancer

CLARE acts are getting together with artists around the country to record a charity single to raise funds for Claregalway girl Lily-Mae Morrison, who has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as Neuroblastoma, which affects one 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.
Catríona Hayes from Lahinch is Lily-Mae’s childminder and is appealing to the public in Clare to support the single, which is a rendition of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer.
It is hoped the song will take the Christmas number-one spot in Ireland this year.
The family face a long battle and need to raise significant funds to help with their fight and to help raise funds, the Sunni-Mae Trust for Lily-Mae was officially launched on July 6 in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway.
“Mae has just completed eight long, hard weeks of chemotherapy and her oncologist says she is one of the best patients on induction chemo he has ever seen. Although he is delighted with her progress, Mae does, however, have remaining active cancerous hotspots on her skeleton and, at this stage, requires two more months of intensive chemotherapy, some weeks needing chemo for six days a week, before they can progress with surgery. The nature of neuroblastoma means doctors just aren’t well enough informed and a lot more research needs to be done into this rare form of childhood cancer. Proceeds from the Sunni Mae Trust will also fund vital research into this vicious cancer,” Catríona outlined.
One of the fundraising campaigns for the Sunni Mae Trust is the recording of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. The organisers have obtained the rights to the song and have a great line-up for the recording, including a choir of 250 singers made up of people from all over Ireland. Among those from Clare to get involved with this recording are the Shannon Gospel Choir, Joe and Steve Wall, Gari Deegan finalist on The Voice of Ireland, together with many members of the Shannon and Ennis musical societies. Also contributing to the recording are Briana Corrigan – formerly of The Beautiful South, Mary Coughlan, Mary Black, Mickey Joe Harte, Gemma Hayes, Sara Lou, The Pale, Naymedici, The Reverse, Liam O’Maonlai, Aoife Scott, Laura Sheeran, Paddy Casey, Mundy, Camille O’Sullivan, John Spillane, Julie Feeney, Kila and Preacher’s Son and Declan O’Rourke. West-End performers Aoife Mullholland, Killian Donnelly, Rob Vickers and Niall Sheehy will also be lending their voices.
“We hope to make people nationwide aware of Lily Mae’s ongoing battle, and make Tiny Dancer hit the number-one spot in the download charts for Christmas,” Caitríona said.
Further information about the recording is available on the Sunni-Mae Trust fundraising page at www.fundit.ie/project/a-song-for-lily-mae or you can make a donation directly to the Sunni Mae Trust at www.idonate.ie/372_sunni-mae-trust.html?userurl=lily.