Charity Balls from my archives!

I didn't have any new photos to accompany a blog entry... and then realised I had a few in My Pictures, which I'd never unleashed and though I might as well do so now....
The first was the Friends of Londiani Ball at The Rochestown Park Hotel last April (where does the time fly?!)
Friends of Londiani works with the people of Londiani, Kenya and its surrounding villages to develop sustainable community projects.
Between June and September of this year, 90 people ranging in age from 18 to 70, will travel from all over Ireland to Kenya to complete a number of tasks as part of the charity’s ‘Harambee 2007’ project. This will involve working with the people of Lelsothet, Benditai and Ndubusat to build a community centre and several classrooms, as well as making positive changes in terms of water supply, education and health in the communities.
The Friends of Londiani is a voluntary organisation, depending heavily on goodwill – so if you want to find out more about the charity or wish to make a donation, e-mail: info@friendsoflondiani.com or have a look at the website www.friendsoflondiani.com


Above I am sharing a few laughs with Evelyn Grant and Gerry Kelly, while below are a few other happy faces from the night...

Also in April I went to the very first SHINE ball in Maryborough House Hotel. Two hundred guests turned out to lend their support to the Irish Progressive Association for Autism (IPAA).
With a view to raising its profile and expanding its fundraising activities, the IPAA is re-branding itself under the name SHINE. The under-lying message of SHINE is to “brighten the future” for autistic children and allow them the opportunity to grow and develop to their full potential.
I was seated with Linda Price, below, who told me she had plans to re-locate her family to Spain at the end of the summer - so lets hope everything is going according to plan at this stage!

Also at my table were Gillian Duffy, Liz Quinlan, Fiona Broderick and Clodagh Crean, below...

Great concerts!

Well, I'm back from a break in France (perhaps I'll write a post about that later). Back to reality... and torrential rain in Cork!
At least, music-wise we are pretty spoilt at the moment. The Midsummer Festival is underway with many cool acts coming to the Spiegeltent on Emmet Place and the Live at The Marquee series was officially launched this morning.
I had a huge treat two weeks ago when I went to Dublin for the George Michael concert in the RDS, the night before flying off to France. That's me pictured just minutes before he arrived onstage. I think that grin never left my face for the time he was onstage (well over two hours).
Up until this 25 Live tour, he hadn't toured in 15 years (and had vowed to never tour again) so it really was a special occasion. He sang three Wham! songs: 'Everything She Wants', 'I'm Your Man' and 'The Edge of Heaven' (the latter which he was singing for the first time in 21 years!) I certainly never thought I would hear him singing those again! 'Careless Whisper' and 'Freedom 90' brought the set to a close, and I must admit I didn't want to end! I had to be dragged from the stadium!
The next morning, en route to the airport I couldn't believe the news on the radio... that he had cancelled the second concert. How lucky was I?! I had given up the opportunity to go to France five days beforehand so I would have soooo killed him if he had cancelled the first night! As it turned out I was glad I messed up my holiday for it as it was worth it... and maybe I'll even try and go to the re-scheduled concert too!

Obviously I wasn't mega close to the stage, but I quite like this photo which shows shows George doing a slow number on his stool with his image directly above on the screen.

Meanwhile I was at another super gig last night - Buena Vista Social Club's sell-out performance at Cork Opera House. It marked the launch of the Bulmers Original Artists Series which will see various artistes making appearances over the coming months.
The band were super lively, despite the fact that some of them are getting on a bit. They really gave a magnificent performance - and it was also great to meet many of my old salsa dancing pals again (I used to obsessed with salsa in the late 90's!)
I was seated on the balcony for the concert - but here is my attempt at a photo nonetheless....

Sean Og O' hAilpin opens new ISPCC premises.

Cork hurling hero Sean Og O'hAilipin officially opened the new ISPCC premises in Penrose Wharf during the week.
The boys from Beaumount national school turned out in their Cork jerseys to greet him and he was kept busy signing autographs for quite a while!
The ISPCC (Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children) is now situated on the first floor in Penrose Wharf, apparently a huge improvement on the charity's last office in Mary St. Sandwiches and snacks were laid on for the morning event (which ended up being my breakfast!)
Note the mysterious light emanating from the great Sean Og?! He is almost a celestial being!!
Anyway, congratulations to the ISPCC on the move. For info on their important services, phone 021 4509588 or log onto www.ispcc.ie.