Jeremy Burke cheque for Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust
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| Eithne and Colin Bell, centre, accepting the cheque from the Burke family |
A bursary for CPC students interested in rock music is to be established in memory of the late Jeremy Burke, writes Brian Byrne. This was announced last evening at an event in McTernans in Kilcullen, during which a cheque for €28,542 was presented to the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.
The money was donated in a GoFundMe appeal set up after Jeremy Burke's unexpected death in Toronto in January at the age of 27, and will be used to help other families who find themselves needing help to bring home loved ones who have died abroad in tragic circumstances.
Members of the Burke and Kelly families attending the event in McTernan's last evening included his mother Louise, his father Gerry, sister Edie, and brother William. Announcing the CPC bursary, Jeremy's aunt, Caroline Kelly Morgan, said that many in the Irish community in Perth, Australia, where she lives, had wanted to do something in support following Jeremy's death. A Charity Ball planned there for 18 November this year is fully sold out, and the money raised will be used to fund the bursary.
"It will be available to 5th and 6th Year students who have a really strong interest in the rock genre of music," she said, noting that the bursary will be administered through the CPC Music Department along with Jeremy's parents. "It could be used, for instance, to get some studio time, or to buy a piece of equipment." She added that it was most important for the Burke and Kelly family to keep Jeremy's memory alive in some special way, with the hashtag jbforever27 illustrating that.
Caroline also said that there will be annual events to support the work of charities like the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, including other support groups for families bereaved by Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS).
Jeremy's mother Louise thanked everyone who had helped them through what had been an awful event, especially Conor Bell who had come to them in the immediate aftermath. "He appeared out of nowhere and stayed with us through the whole process of getting Jeremy home." On behalf of the family, Louise thanked everyone who had been with them through 'tragedy and darkness', including Barry Comerford who had set up the GoFundMe campaign. "Jeremy's passing has touched so many, there are such good people out there." She concluded by reading a poem by Donna Ashworth, Take Them With You. "When I'm having a bad day, of which there are many, I just remember the words of this poem and they help me get along another bit."
Pat Kelly recalled the reason why they were at last night's event. "Jeremy was a fantastic musician — bass player, songwriter, lead singer, and lead guitarist. He had performed on the Kilcullen stage many times since he was ten, and studied his music later for four years in Dublin."
Accepting the cheque, Colin Bell, father of Kevin whose death in a hit-and-run incident in New York in 2013 had led to the formation of the repatriation trust, said that since then they have brought over 1,600 people home to their families — nine in this last week alone. "We get a lot of praise for what we do, but we can't do this without people who fundraise for us," he said. "The money that was raised by Jeremy's family is for the next family, and the next family, and the next family after that. It's a fantastic legacy that speaks volumes of what Jeremy was thought of, what the Burke family are thought of, and it is a real tribute to everybody here tonight."
