Top line-up for East Clare benefit concert

EAST Clare’s internationally renowned fiddler, Martin Hayes, together with Steve Cooney, will perform as part of a gala concert to help with ongoing fundraising efforts for Brigit’s Hearth this weekend.
The event, which takes place at 4pm on Sunday in Scariff Community College, has been organised to help raise funds for the childcare facility which started out 10 years ago.
Speaking about Brigit’s Hearth, musician Martin Hayes said, “It’s a local East Clare project and it’s a project that I think has a positive influence in a fundamental way on children’s lives. I try to do a few benefits for local things and I am very happy to do so for this event.
“Lina Pelaez, who runs Brigit’s Hearth, is my partner and I met her through this project. I played for the opening of it. First of all, one of the most striking things about it is the architecture of the building because it tries to establish a home. While the architecture is Irish but it also has a modern touch, it is a beautiful design,” he added.
Martin explained that in looking at Ireland today and examining where are we going to go as a nation, he believes that the best place to start is in education. But he stressed that is also important to know that there is more to life and people need to know how to be happy and fulfilled human beings.
“People need to become creative, these traits are things that begin in early childhood and I believe anything that encourages that, such as Brigit’s Hearth, is good. It nurtures children towards a happy life rather than focusing on the need to lead a productive life and ultimately a happy life is a productive life,” he said.
Martin Hayes will be joined by Steve Cooney at the gala concert as well as Tommy Hayes, Martin’s sister, Helen Hayes and Stephanie Keane.
“Steve and I have a habit of going on stage without preparation or a set list, we have played on a number of occasions like this and always have a great rapport,” Martin said.
Brigit’s Hearth children centre began as a small initiative run by people who wanted to offer holistic care to young children.
A spokesperson for the group said, “We believe in the need of young children to be at home. As this is not always possible, we took the initiative to create a space and to design a programme that would meet the needs of the young child at such a critical time in their life”.
Brigit’s Hearth’s daily programme includes on average two and half hours of play in the nearby woodland, a wholesome home cooked meal, the experience of domestic life including baking, knitting, gardening and other activities related to housekeeping.
“In contrast to the hectic pace of modern life, we offer the children the experience of a warm, quiet environment where the presence of their careers is the most required quality.
“Three years ago, we received Government funding to establish our work as a community developed centre. Following our belief in the importance of healthy building for children and after attending a conference on Building for Children in Ireland we co-designed a “home”- traditional East Clare old style building with modern environmental solutions,” the spokesperson explained.
The property, adjacent to the community hospital and nursing home at Raheen Estate, includes two acres of land which Brigit’s Hearth plans to develop into kitchen gardens. In addition to children being able to have a real experience in the gardens they hope the project can develop into an inter-generational opportunity for the elderly members of the community.
The recently completed facility can accommodate 26 children from the ages of six months to six years old in a mixed aged family setting. We provided part-time and full-time care. As a community-developed project, they offer both the early childhood care and education subsidy for three and four years old and the CCS subvention for low-income families.
They will also hold an open day on Saturday from 11am to 1pm for families interested in places for September.
For further information, contact 085 1542322 or e-mail brigitshearth@gmail.com.