- Music
- 22 Oct 02
Sound investment
The proceeds from a new CD featuring the cream of Ireland’s musical talent including U2, Sinéad O’Connor and Ash will benefit people living with mental illness
You can’t see it, there are often very few outward signs but, to far more people than we would perhaps like to admit, the problem of mental health is an extremely real one. Those working within the field are often faced with barriers of a social and financial nature, but keep on chipping away, trying to help those who suffer from this illness find a voice. The latest project to approach the task is the Sound Minds CD, the brainchild of Susan Jones of the Wicklow Mental Health Association.
“I just thought it would be an unusual way to get people to contribute something”, she says, picking up the story. “I thought a CD would be simple, that people just had to give their music and that would be it. I started with the hotpress yearbook and got everybody’s numbers from that”. And so, armed only with a phone, fax machine and computer, Susan set forth on a 15-month appeal to the Irish music industry’s better nature.
Aside from exclusive tracks from the Cranberries and Gary Moore, the album also features the likes of Van Morrison, Bob Geldolf, Ash (who’s ‘Shining Light’ is given added poignancy by the context), The Corrs, Sinéad O’Connor and the small matter of a track from U2.
Can we take from the fact that this CD had to exist at all that mental health care is underfunded?
“Drastically underfunded” confirms Susan. “It’s been the Cinderella illness when it comes to funding. You don’t get people writing terrible stuff in the papers about people with cancer but you would still get that with mental illness. It’s not tangible; you can’t see a bandage or something like that.
A large percentage of the homeless on the streets of Ireland suffer from some sort of mental illness. There are a lot of people in prison with the same problems. There are an awful lot of basic things missing, like care in the community. The money raised from the CD will help fund one alternative, the development of a Social Clubhouse for the South Dublin region where Susan works. “People need drop in centres” says Susan, “housing is just the basics of life.”
