LIMERICK’S music and artistic community will be in for a treat this summer when the fourth annual Craic-A-Palooza hits The Office Bar on Carr Street.
The charity event on Saturday June 28 is an exhibition of local talent in both the performing and visual arts and is organised by Limerick-based acoustic musicians Gray’s Burden. It is free to attend and open to everybody.
This year’s Craic-A-Palooza beneficiary is the Canadh Music Engagement Programme, a project developed by Brothers of Charity Limerick and Gray’s Burden founder Stephen Buggy.
Gray’s Burden guitarist Darren O’Halloran explained: “It is a project that will enable individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities to interact with music on levels that have been previously unavailable to them on a broader scale.
“It is hoped that, in time, the programme will be able to spread across the organisation and, if possible, be employed in other similar organisations.
“While we consult with occupational and creative arts therapists in developing the programme, we also hope to involve these categories of professionals on a more practical level so as to enable service users to fully gain from the academically documented benefits of music and the creative arts. It is to accomodate this that our benefit concert and events are of great importance.”
Craic-A-Palooza is self-funded and relies on the willingness and charity of participants to determine its success. It will feature performances from a host of Limerick-based musicians, bands and performance artists, as well as an art exhibition with some exhibits being sold in silent auctions throughout the night.
Darren added: “Over the last several years, we have developed a close relationship with this year’s venue, The Office Bar on Carr Street. Thanks to their enthusiasm and generosity, we are able to include even more events than previous years.
“With this in mind, we also hope to involve some of the city and county based sports clubs in participating on the night in some competitions which will be announced in the coming weeks. We are encouraging anyone and everyone to volunteer to take part in the event and help to raise funds.”
Any interested musicians, performance artists or sports clubs and societies that wish to get involved should contact [email protected]
