Music for Medicine Concert by Gormanstown Choir this evening

War destruction in Raqqa, Syria.

A reminder that a Midsummer Concert performance by the Gormanstown Choir and guests in Kildare Cathedral this evening, Saturday 23 July, will help raise funds for victims of one of Putin's other brutal wars, in Syria, writes Brian Byrne.

The event will aid the September mission by Atlantic Humanitarian Relief (AHR) to Jordan, which borders Syria where a civil war has been waged since 2011. Russian leader Putin and his military came in on the side of Bashaar al Assad in 2015, escalating the brutality, violence and destruction.

Of the original 21 million population in Syria it is now believed that five million are internally displaced and six million are refugees in neighbouring countries. Close to half a million have been killed in the conflict. 

AHR has been running biannual missions to Northern Jordan since 2012. Originally set up by Syrian clinicians in the US, the operation has grown to include volunteers from both the US and Europe. Previously, Dorly O’Sullivan (formerly Principal at Kildare Steiner School and Musical Director at Gormanstown Chapel Choir), Corinna Hopkins (GP Nurse at The Bridge Medical Centre Newbridge), and Dr John O’Shea (Anaesthetics Registrar at Tallaght University Hospital) have been out on earlier missions. 

On September 30 2022, AHR is sending another mission to provide medical and humanitarian aid to the camps in Northern Jordan. The mission will provide essential medical, dental and surgical services, in collaboration with local hospitals and the University of Irbid Medical School. All team members self-fund their own participation, including flights and accommodation costs, but funding is required for essential medical supplies, running clinics, administration, and purchasing operating theatre time, at cost, from local hospitals.

The concert this evening includes a selection of choral and instrumental music from local performers, including Gormanstown Chapel Choir (Musical Director Dorly O’Sullivan), The Dara String Quartet, Organist Ella Fallon (Scholarship at Orgelpark Amsterdam), Elena Ryan on Viola, and Harpists Mary Nolan and Harry Carpendale. Tickets at €22 are available through Eventbrite for prior booking, and will also be available at the door. 

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