Big Gig for a great cause

Date Published: 26-Jan-2008

Johnny ‘Ringo’McDonagh the former bodhrán playerwith de Dannan and Riverdance and a founder of the group Arcady is standing at the cooker in his kitchen making brunch for his two children, 11year old Katie and Sonny, aged 10.

They are perched at one end of the table, preparing to tuck in. At the other is a stack of posters, advertising the Big Gig that Johnny is organising in aid of Console, the group which supports people affected by suicide and offers counselling to those who are suicidal.

The Big Gig, featuring top Irish actors Brendan Gleeson and Seán McGinley, and Johnny’s former colleagues in de Dannan, Alec Finn, Frankie Gavin and Máirtín O’Connor, is taking place in the Salthill Hotel on Sunday, February 10.

Others taking part include the Seán Keane Band, Dessie O’Halloran, Eleanor Shanley and Cathal HaydenJohnny has a very special reason for organising this concert and supporting the work of Console as his brother Peter, died by suicide 18 months ago.

“This Console gig is my way of doing something for all the things I didn’t do formy brother when he was alive. And it’s also good healing for me. “I admire what Console do, offering counselling to people affected by suicide. My brother committed suicide and what bothers me is that people are afraid to talk about it. There’s a stigma about it. If people talked about it, that would help. The most people who commit suicide are the people who don’t talk about things.

Johnny is from Shantalla and grew up just around the corner from the Crane. He and his two brothers, Martin and Peter (who was the youngest) “had a …….