- Ireland’s largest youth organisation launches its first ever Christmas charity single
- ‘Calling You Home For Christmas’ features 100 volunteers who gathered to record the original song
- All soloists teenage members of Foróige, Ireland’s leading youth organisation
- Charity asks supporters to ‘Give the gift of song to those away for Christmas’
Foróige, Ireland’s leading youth organisation, has launched a very special Christmas single to raise vital funds to help thousands of teenagers.
The single features the outstanding vocal and musical talents of young singers and musicians from across Ireland. More than 100 Foróige volunteers – adults and teenagers – gathered together to record the single, ‘Calling You Home for Christmas’, which also features moving solo performances by young Foróige members from Tallaght, 16-year-old Bobby Keely and 16-year-old Trisha Rafter.
Composer Gavin Bryne, a Foróige Youth Worker in Blanchardstown, urged people to make this song your gift to a friend or family member who can't be home this Christmas.
“As the year of the Gathering comes to a close, we are reaching out to those who are away from home for Christmas. The message of the song is wherever you are in the world; your heart is always home at Christmas,” said composer Gavin Byrne, a Foróige Youth Worker in Blanchardstown.
“We also think of those ‘no longer at our side’ who are especially close at Christmas time. I hope this song will appeal to everyone - especially both immigrants and emigrants,” he added.
The single ‘Calling You Home for Christmas’ is set to be released on December 3rd 2013 and will cost 99 cent. The single can be downloaded from iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
Foróige CEO Seán Campbell urged people to show their support for young people and purchase the single.
“All funds raised through the single will help Foróige run its vital youth projects in Tallaght and Blanchardstown which engage with 8,500 young people in those areas. Demand for our services continues to increase while at the same time, we’re experiencing the worst funding cuts in our 60-year history.
“We know that times are tough but we’re urging people to get behind young people while spreading some Christmas cheer in the process,” he said.
The lyrics and music were written and arranged by Gavin Byrne. Vocals were recorded on November 10th in Finnstown Country House Hotel, Co Dublin.
For further information please contact:
Cathy Gray, Foróige Marketing Communications Officer
086 807 5332 / 01 630 1732
Notes to Editor:
The launch of Foróige’s Christmas Single 3rd December at 7pm in the Big Picture, Tallaght (just behind the Square Luas Stop in Tallaght).
About Foróige:
Foróige is the leading and largest youth organisation in Ireland. The charity works with 56,000 young people annually delivering a diverse range of programmes and services including a number of Garda Diversion Projects supporting young people at risk. The organisation has more than 5,000 adult volunteers and a network of 597 youth clubs and 150 targeted projects making it the largest youth organisation in the country. The charity also runs national programmes such as Citizenship, Entrepreneurship and Leadership.
About Foróige in Tallaght and Blanchardstown:
Foróige runs two major youth services in Tallaght and Blanchardstown. The Foróige Youth Service in Tallaght engages with 5,500 young people and the Blanchardstown Youth Service and Computer Clubhouse engages with 3,000 young people.
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