Some of the best of Irish & UK musicians come together on August 27th, Virgin Media One, to raise vital funds for cancer support services in Ireland
Concert4Cancer is back, bringing together a host of Irish and UK musicians, special guest appearances and powerful patient stories, to raise vital funds for cancer support services in Ireland.
Co-hosted by Anna Daly and Ronan Keating the televised benefit concert, in aid of the Marie Keating Foundation, will be live on Virgin Media One and on the Virgin Media player at 9pm Friday, August 27th.
This year’s line-up includes a special duet from Gary Barlow and Ronan Keating, performances from Aslan, Riptide Movement, Anne-Marie, Johnny Logan, Soda Blonde, Mike Denver, Emma Langford and the Mount Sion Choir, Tebi Rex, Curtis Walsh and Saint Sister, with more acts to be announced.
Thanks to the generosity of the Irish people last year’s concert raised more than €500,000 on the night. This enabled the Foundation to bring back it’s vital cancer support services, such as the Comfort Fund grant and to grow its BRCA support group and Positive Living meetings*.
Singer and Marie Keating Foundation patron, Ronan Keating says he is excited to be back for a second year “with the support of Virgin Media Television, we are so excited to be back this year and what an amazing show we have in store! A diverse mix of musical genres, international household names, amazing Irish talent and some fab special guest appearances too – it’s the perfect show for the whole family to enjoy a night in together. We really want the public to get behind us again and dig deep if they can, to ensure that the Foundation can continue to support as many men and women as possible through this really challenging time. We thought last year that by now, we’d be back to ‘normal’ and although there is great hope, it’s hard to believe we are still adjusting to a COVID world. The Foundation has remained there steadfast through it all, supporting cancer patients, but they need the public’s help and donations to continue this important work. My family and I are so proud of all the team at the Foundation and what they do every day in our Mam’s name. We hope that this show will bring families across Ireland together for a night of great TV, amazing music and some really powerful stories and most importantly raise funds for this amazing charity and those they support.”
The hidden casualty of the pandemic has been the impact on other health services. Cancer diagnostics, treatment and support services have all been disrupted or curtailed at some point. While the incredible doctors, nurses and wider medical teams work hard to provide excellent care in these challenging times, patients have been extremely isolated having to cocoon for long periods and attend treatment, receive results and go to appointments, alone without the usual support from family and friends.
Marie Keating Foundation CEO Liz Yeates says the charity’s supportive services have been in high demand as a result “the last year and half has been extremely challenging for everyone, but especially for those on a cancer journey. Having to isolate and keep away from family and friends, all while going through treatment, has been so difficult. Throughout the pandemic, the Marie Keating Foundation has worked hard to ensure we have remained there for cancer patients and survivors, giving them a safe space to turn to when times have been tough. Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Irish public during last year’s concert, we were able to transition many of our important services to online delivery and to reinstate services such as the Comfort Fund. But the demand for our services has grown, with some of our support groups experiencing a 200% growth in members during the pandemic. Our nurses have stepped up to meet this increased demand, but we do need the public’s help to ensure those vital services can continue We are so grateful to Virgin Media Television and to the wonderful artists and so many more who have worked with us to get this Concert4Cancer off the ground. We hope everyone enjoys the night and to everyone who is able to donate, a massive thank you, it means the world to us and those we support.”
More acts and special guest appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
