Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

A stellar cast of local talent is set to perform in The Ol’ 55 bar just off Eyre Square on February 1 – in aid of suicide prevention charity Pieta House. Fittingly, given the song from which the venue takes its name, the theme of the night is Tom Waits – each of the artists on show are preparing songs from the legendary American songwriter’s catalogue. It is a project that has long been on the mind of the event’s organiser, singer-songwriter Echo Harte.

Alongside Echo is a long list of familiar faces from the city’s music scene, including Conor Geoghegan, Cathy Shannon, Michael Joyce and Money 4 Cans.

It is not the first time that the Tuam native has used his music as a vehicle to fundraise for Pieta House – an organisation that holds special meaning for him.

“This will be the third or fourth time I’ve done an event linked with Pieta House,” Echo explains.

“The first time I took the initiative to do something like this was the music video for Sun Don’t Rise, which was part of a suicide awareness campaign. I got in touch with Pieta House and the HSE, and they funded the video.

“The second time then was after the summer of 2021 when I had been busking with the band in front of big crowds on the street… Pieta House gave us buckets and it was just nice to do something for the charity. They’ve been very helpful for myself and people I know. The service is free if you need to contact them. They offer free counselling and all that so it’s just my way of giving back to them.”

When Echo settled on the idea to link the night to Tom Waits, several local performers came to mind immediately.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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