Irish stars shine at Berkeley Fundraiser

Our man with the cam CJ Hartigan captured all the excitement of the evening - check out the photo gallery right here.
An extraordinary evening at The Academy saw the great and the greater of Irish music strut their stuff for a hugely deserving cause.
The brainchild of a group of students personally touched by the tragic events in Berkeley, the night served as a fundraiser for those who suffered life changing injuries in the balcony collapse.
While Kurtis Wade and Mongoose were charged with kicking proceedings off, there was no let-up for almost five hours after; performers included Mundy (who enlisted the help of the Dublin Gospel Choir), Vann Music and Gavin James – who dragged Kodaline’s Mark and Steve along for a few songs – first treating the crowed to a cover of Billie Jean, before a stunning rendition of ‘All I Want’.
Nicky Byrne was our MC for the evening, which also saw storming performances from Vann Music, Heroes in Hiding, Neon Atlas, Columbia Mills, The Fontaines and more.
While the acts deserve immense acclaim for their efforts, the highest of praise is reserved for the students who hustled, haggled and harried to put the evening together. Raising much-needed funds to help make the arduous road to recovery that much easier – and raising spirits at the same time – it was an emotional, exhilarating and hugely successful evening.
Hot Press also had the chance to grab a chat with some of the big names, so keep your eyes right here throughout the day!