Olympia gig for Pieta House

A HOST of high-profile Irish artists and acts – among them Christy Dignam (Aslan), Conor O’Brien (Villagers), Jerry Fish, Bagatelle and In Tua Nua – have been confirmed to play a gig in aid of Pieta House in April.

The concert - A Night For Pieta House – takes place at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Sunday 2nd April. Tickets, priced just €20, are on sale now. All proceeds will go to the charity, which offers free counselling to those suffering from suicidal ideation, those who have been bereaved by suicide and people who are engaging in self-harm.
This will be the third ‘A Night For Pieta House’ gig and the line-up also includes The 4 of Us, Duke Special, Mundy, The Pale, Blink, Pugwash, Friends of Emmet, Frank Kearns, Pete Holidai and Mike Ryan.
In Tua Nua singer Leslie Dowdall said she was happy to be a part of the fundraising gig.
“It’s a fantastic night. Everyone on the bill is 100 per cent behind the cause and it’s a great celebration of music. It gets bigger and better every year and the line-up this year is fantastic.
“I used to work for a disability charity and a young guy of 21, a really nice guy, came in. I was really fond of him and I was told that he appeared to be doing well but after three weeks we found out that he took his own life. I just couldn’t believe it when I heard about it.
“That’s when I became aware of Pieta House. And when Keith Geraghty [from Friends of Emmet] told me about the gig for Pieta and asked if we’d be interested, we said ‘absolutely’. Anything that raises awareness around suicide and self-harm and raises funds for Pieta House is worth doing, in my book.”
Brian Higgins, Pieta House CEO, added: 'We are hugely grateful to all the acts for agreeing to perform for Pieta House at this concert.

“Pieta House has been in existence for just over 11 years now and almost 28,000 people have accessed our services in that time. Thanks to events such as this we are able to keep our life-saving services free.

“Music helps us live life to the full and this event in previous years has been so full of fun and life that it is a therapy in itself!”

Keith Geraghty has helped to organise the concert and will perform on the night with his band Friends of Emmet.

“Having the privilege to perform at A Night For Pieta House is the highest honour,” he said. “The gathering of some of Ireland's top artists and bands is to show our support and appreciation for the tireless work that Pieta House does in giving people hope and in letting them know they are never alone.”