Barretstown to Stream the Highlights of Their ‘Inspirations’ Concert Series This Saturday

This Saturday, Barretstown will stream the highlights of the charity’s ‘Inspirations’ series of fundraising concerts on Facebook and Youtube.

Founded in 1994 within Paul Newman’s SeriousFun Children’s Network, Barretstown is a free camp for young people with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Children aged 7 to 17 come to Barretstown’s County Kildare location to enjoy therapeutic recreation, which researchers say can be a self-esteem building social experience for people who face a serious diagnosis at a young age.

The camp’s fundraising concerts took place from 2009 to 2013 at the Olympia in Dublin. On the lineup of ‘Inspirations’ were big names in contemporary music: Sinead O’Connor, David Gray, Glen Hansard, Lisa Hannigan, Cerys Matthews, Fun Lovin Criminals, Gerry Fish, the Villagers, and many more.

Barretstown CEO Dee Ahearne said “the gigs were such a big part of keeping Barretstown and the work that we do for children and families affected by serious illness in the spotlight. They raised over €300,000 to help us fund that work and allow more kids to enjoy the magic of Barretstown.”

“We hope that people log on and enjoy the compilation on Saturday, and consider also supporting our work in these challenging times with a donation,” she added.

Barretstown estimates that in 2020 it will cost €6.9 million to run their programmes. As families of sick children do not pay for the camp, all this money must come from charitable donations.

Amid the COVID-19 quarantine, Barretstown is in special need of support. Two of its main fundraising events—the ‘Big Picnic for Barretstown’ and the Dublin marathon—may not be able to take place under the government’s social distancing guidelines.

Though Saturday’s compilation is free to watch, viewers will be able to donate via Facebook and on Barretstown’s website. The stream will begin at 7 PM GMT.