Fagan donating song proceeds to Women's Aid

Singer-songwriter Pauly Fagan from Navan is donating all proceeds from a song he wrote about domestic violence to support Women’s Aid Ireland, a group that needs funding and awareness.
Pauly wrote the song in late 2014. While on a break from a writing session when he heard the news on the radio about a woman who had been beaten to death by her husband. He sat down and wrote the song wondering why women don’t leave abusive relationships. Why do they
stay? How can they be treated so badly by someone they love? Do they think things will change?
Pauly is one of six sons whose childhood revolved around family and music. He often talks about the love he and his brothers have for his mother and the deep respect for women they were taught from their father. It moved him deeply to think that a wife and mother could be at the mercy of her husband’s abuse.
After he wrote the song, he went to visit his parents and played the song for them. They were moved by the song but also worried that playing it in public might be too much for people to listen to. Pauly was adamant that the song should be on the album despite the subject matter.
He had spent a few years in Canada recording and playing his music. When this very sad story was just another bit of the news he thought that this problem; while not exclusive to a country was so bad in Ireland?
While recording the album in 2015, he played a few gigs and described to the audience why he wrote the song. The audience listened to the song quietly and talked after the session about someone they knew or a story they heard. He knew we had to do more.
He asked his manager, Carole Sceli, how the song could be used to not only highlight the problem but also raise money to help.
“We approached Women’s Aid Ireland,” Carole explains. “We hope money and awareness can be raised to help bring attention and much needed funding to a very worthy cause. We are urging people to download and donate by Texting ACTION to 50300 to donate €4* to Women’s Aid.”

The statistics from the June report, just released by Women’s Aid are staggering. In 2015, there were 16,375 disclosures of domestic violence against women. There were 10,876 incidents of emotional abuse, 3,281 incidents of physical abuse and 1,602 incidents of financial abuse disclosed. In the same year, 616 incidents of sexual abuse were disclosed to its services including 212 rapes. The Women’s Aid National Helpline responded to 12,041 calls in 2015.
“When Pauly approached us about the donation of the song we were thrilled to have the support,” explained Margaret Martin, director of Women’s Aid.
“We have struggled with programme funding cuts and any additional revenue we can generate goes directly to services for women experiencing domestic violence.”
Ms Martin continues: “Pauly’s song and video explores the very stark reality of domestic violence. Domestic violence is dangerous. It kills women. It kills children, too. In 2015, women disclosed on 970 occasions, that their abusive partners threatened to kill them, their children and their families. Women’s Aid has been collecting data for 20 years on female homicide in Ireland. Over this time, 211 women have been murdered in Ireland. Some 13 children were murdered alongside their mothers. In the resolved cases, 55 per cent of women were killed by their partners or ex-partners. These statistics are a stark reminder of the dangerous and sometimes fatal nature of domestic abuse and the tragedy it brings for family, friends and communities.”
The song, ‘Hold Me Down’ is available for download at www.womensaid.ie/paulyfagan.
The Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline 1 800 341 900, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. www.womensaid.ie

Pauly Fagan plays Beggy's of Navan on 24th July.