Tag Archives: Pieta House

EXCITEMENT is mounting amongst Cantare Choir members as rehearsals are in full swing for the Cantare Choir with Orchestra Vivaldi’s Gloria Summer Concert taking place in Ennis Cathedral on Saturday, May 11 at 8pm. While the programme features the uplifting 12 movements of Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 589) with full orchestral accompaniment, it also showcases some wonderful favourites, such as Pachelbel’s Canon in D, and Summer from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, to name but two of the many pieces selected for performance. The choir and orchestra will be joined by celebrated vocal soloists Regina Nathan, Helen Houlihan and Ruth Kelly, while Kerry violinist, Hannah O’Shea, and organist Eoin Shanahan from Quilty also perform solo pieces in what is being described as “an unforgettable evening of musical excellence”. Musical Director is the renowned Michael Hennessy, and Master of Ceremonies will be the esteemed Nigel Bridge. The proceeds of this enchanting evening will be in support of two worthy charities, Sláinte an …

FOR many teenagers their mid-term break away from school is a time to kick back, take it easy and relax. Not so for 16-year-old Claire Cuddihy from Lissycasey who this February is set to take on an incredible challenge with the aim of raising mental health awareness as well as funds for a well-known charity. Claire is preparing to complete not one, but an amazing, seven marathons over the course of just one week in aid of Pieta. The student of St John Bosco Community College, Kildysart, will be taking on a gruelling 42km run each day, getting back out on the track every day for seven straight days in a row. Speaking to The Clare Champion ahead of her marathon challenge, she laughs as she considers the daunting challenge she has set herself. More seriously, however, she adds her strong belief that the issue of mental health needs to be highlighted, while she also wants to raise awareness and …

Ireland’s national suicide prevention charity Pieta is using the occasion of Blue Monday to drive awareness of its ‘SIGNS of suicide’ campaign. ‘Blue Monday’ is generally the third Monday of January and is so called as it has been labelled the most depressing day of the year, being far from Christmas and New Year revelry, but still remote from the end of the month pay cheque. Pieta’s campaign encourages people to ‘swap the small talk for the big talk’ as over half of its clients are under 25 years old. Many young men have great relationships with their barbers and consider this a safe space to open-up and talk freely. Pieta has, therefore, partnered with Sam’s Barbers to help reach young men in a space where are comfortable talking about issues in their own lives. ‘Signs of Suicide’ is a public awareness resource created to help family or friends support someone who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide. …

A TEAM of young East Clare men will hold a Christmas tractor run on Saturday, December 18, for those affected by the stress of cancer and mental health issues. Tomás Meade from Quin has joined forces with seven friends aged 19 and 20, all past pupils of St Flannan’s, to get the Light The Way tractor run underway in aid of Milford Hospice and Pieta House. Last January’s Level 5 lockdown put paid to plans for a live event, and the lads instead urged tractor and truck lovers around the county to light up and send them photos of decorated vehicles of all kinds. Tomás, an automotive engineering student at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), seized the opportunity to hold the event next Saturday and the venue will be the Gurteen GAA Grounds in Doora. For spectators, the event will be a colourful spectacle, lighting up the night. “The run will be going around Quin and Newmarket and then return …

COROFIN GAA club will be hosting the 24-hour Run4Pieta event this weekend, to raise funds for Pieta House and its mental health services. The event will be held on the walking track at Páirc Finne, the GAA grounds in Corofin, and run from 6pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday. This is not the first time Corofin GAA has held a high-profile charity event, raising €16,000 during their Climb Everest Challenge last year during lockdown, for which the whole panel of players took part in climbs of Mullaghmore that when combined made up the height of Everest in kilometres. The funds last year went to helping those with cystic fibrosis, and this year a lot of consideration went into which charities were worthwhile for another fundraising event, as GAA and other sports finally start to see the light of day again. Brian Gillespie, chairperson of Corofin GAA, explained: “We saw that Pieta House was calling on GAA clubs in particular …

A BIRTHDAY gift has been put to good use by a Sixmilebridge woman who has just donated €1,000 to Pieta House. Angie Togher, a native of Limerick, but living in the ‘Bridge for the last 38 years, fulfilled a lifetime ambition of writing a novel, after she retired from the health services. The book was set aside for some time and Angie thought no more about it until her family organised its publication as a birthday surprise. “They asked Dominic Taylor form the Limerick Writers’ Centre to look after the printing, but kept it all a complete secret until my birthday when they told me that publication was underway,” Angie said. “I was just delighted and got to pick the typeface and the cover before the book was printed.” ‘Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things’ tells the story of Hugh who is struggling to cope with childhood trauma and the death of his wife. He travels to Scotland, his wife’s native …

A TEAM of young East Clare men are hoping to provide a ray of hope this Christmas for families and individuals affected by the stress of cancer and mental heath issues. Tomás Meade from Quin has joined forces with five friends, all former pupils of St Flannan’s College, to get the Light the Way light photo competition under way in aid of Milford Hospice and Pieta House. The return to Level 5 restrictions put paid to plans to hold a tractor and truck run and the lads are now urging tractor and truck lovers around the county to light up and send them photos of decorated vehicles of all kinds. “This year has been really tough for so many people and very hard for people anyone going through cancer treatment,” said Tomás, an Automotive Engineering student at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT). “Mental health is another issue that affects the whole community and a lot of people have been suffering …

LAST Saturday saw the planting of a so-called ‘Tree of Hope’ at the People’s Park in Kilmihil. Organised by the local Darkness Into Light committee, it stands as a symbol of hope for people. Camilla Cleary is part of the committee and she said it had been suggested by Pieta, in line with an initiative they are running around the country. “Basically it’s for World Mental Health Day and Pieta suggested we plant a tree as a Tree of Hope, so that’s what we’re doing in Kilmihil in the People’s Park. “It’s just a tree to hopefully give people a bit of hope, it’s something that is happening nationwide, not just in Kilmihil. It’s our first year and we were supposed to have the Darkness into Light walk, but obviously it didn’t go ahead, so it was suggested that we do this.” The local Darkness Into Light committee is newly formed and unfortunately things haven’t gone their way. “It’s our …