Irish stars join forces to raise funds for Irish charity in Haiti
A number of Irish celebrities will perform at a Gala Concert to fundraise for an Irish charity supporting communities in Haiti.
John McColgan is presenting a unique fundraising Gala Concert in aid of Haven at the Convention Centre Dublin on Saturday March 11. McColgan is the creative director of Riverdance and founding director of Tyrone Productions. He will be joined on the night by Riverdance, Mario Rosenstock, Brian Kennedy, Kila, Róisín O, Patrick Bergin, and a host of special guests.
Hosted by MCs Miriam O’Callaghan and Brendan O’Connor, the event aims to raise awareness and support for the people of Haiti, which remains one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.
"Having travelled to different parts of the world affected by poverty and conflict - including Palestine - we wanted to visit Haiti to capture the stories of its people, explore reality on the ground, and document how the Haitian people are rebuilding their lives after the devastation of the third major natural disaster in just six years," said John McColgan.
"It was a truly eye-opening and thought-provoking experience to do so with Haven, and I am delighted to be able to share it with the people of Ireland at this Gala Concert. I wish to sincerely thank all the performers who are taking part: together, we can help the people of Haiti to restore their livelihoods and communities after this immensely challenging time."
As part of their trip to Haiti, the McColgans travelled to the island of Île à Vache, and visited the communities of Figuier, Le Hatte, and Nan Roche to see the damage caused to Haven’s boat-building, agricultural and business development programmes.
"It was a privilege to welcome the McColgan family to Haiti and to show them our projects in Haiti, especially after the devastation of Hurricane Matthew," said Leslie Buckley, Chairman and Founder of Haven.
"During their time in Haiti, they not only witnessed the gravity of the situation there, but, by raising awareness of it, greatly helped our recovery efforts and development in the communities we work with every day. Through this concert, we aim to create further support, and appeal to the generous Irish public to join us on the night to help the people of Haiti in their recovery. On behalf of the Haven team, I wish to sincerely thank all the artists for so selflessly giving their time and commitment in this vital fundraising event."
Haven’s team is working on the remote island of Île à Vache, which lay at the eye of Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful hurricane to hit Haiti in over 50 years. All funds raised at the Gala Concert will go towards this work.
