Gala For Gaza event raises over €100,000 for Palestinian charities

MAYO woman Melanie McGovern felt like she had no choice, like she was backed into a corner.

She tells The Mayo News that the atrocities being carried out in Gaza and livestreamed into her living room made her initially feel helpless before she realised she had two choices; go into denial or try and do something.

Her son Joe was just two months old at the time and she says that “as a mother, you’re acutely aware of the depth of empathy and the needs and wants of a pregnant and a nursing mother. So it just grabbed me by the soul. And I just thought, ‘I have to act.’

“This is about basic human rights. Withholding food from an infant when there’s abundance across the wall is a breach of the most basic human rights. It’s an incomprehensible act that’s unimaginable in this day and age.”

Wanting to do something tangible, she decided upon a fundraiser.

“It’s one thing Ireland is good at. We mightn’t be good at going to a protest as we’re out of our comfort zone, but we are good at charity.”

The iconic musician Sharon Shannon is a neighbour and came onboard as soon as she was asked. Melanie says that her involvement created “momentum and the community just rallied in.”

Appetite

SENSING that a lot of people were feeling equally as helpless, she knew there was an appetite to do something and felt it would be a success. Tickets sold out within four days and over 350 people attended on Saturday night.

While initially unsure about a gala as she felt it wouldn’t be keeping in context, she teased it out with her husband, Shrule native, James Lohan, many times before realising that “the Gala was the only way to raise significant money, because of a raffle, because of an auction, because people pay for a meal and music.”

Wanting to keep it inclusive, the event was not black tie, it wasn’t celebratory.

“We really wanted to honour the Palestinian culture. We had poetry, we had dance, we had song, we had written words, spoken words, and I think that all represented so much of Palestine was showcased.

“People in that gala on Saturday night may have never gone to a protest and may never go to one, because it’s just not in their capacity. But it doesn’t mean that they agree with what’s going on. They don’t, but they just don’t know how to channel it. So it gave them a place to share their despair, to know they’re not alone, and to know that we are accountable and together, we can do something, whether it’s boycotting, whether it’s just having the conversation, whether it’s just giving hope, supporting charity.”

Dr Melanie McGovern and Hannah Weller of Gaza Go Bragh

There were musical performances from soprano Celine Byrne and Irish-Palestinian musician Roisin El Charif, as well as Leo Moran from The Saw Doctors.

Internationally renowned soprano Celine Byrne performed on the night and spoke about her own ignorance about Palestine before she was criticised for performing in Israel. She said this made her educate herself on the plight of the Palestinian people and she has since been a vocal advocate for their cause.

Keynote speech

INDEPENDENT Presidential Candidate Catherine Connolly delivered the keynote speech.

“She made a point of saying she wasn’t there as a presidential candidate,” Melanie says, “but as a human being who refuses to stay quiet. She got a standing ovation for that.”

Catherine Connolly with Fiona Murphy and Brid Hennelly

Melanie is full of praise for the vital role Kay Egan played in helping organise the event, describing her as “fundamental.”

Kay brought in the ‘Ethical Bar’ at the event, where everything was BDS approved.

Gala For Gaza came off the back of Pilgrim for Palestine, a fundraiser that took place in Mayo earlier this summer.

Kay Egan, Fiona Murphy, Brid Hennelly, Eveylin McHugh and Sabrina Egan took part in the separate fundraiser ‘Pilgrim for Palestine’ earlier this summer, which raised almost €36,000 for Gaza go Bragh CLG.

They explain that “back in July, after a lot of discussion about our heartbreak and our despair and our desperate need and want to do something to help, and I suppose to put all of that into action to support Palestine., we decided to come up with a fundraiser. We wanted to do something that was meaningful, and we felt that if it was like a walk or a pilgrim, that it would be symbolic. So we chose Tóchar Phádraig Walk because the distance from Gaza City to Rafa is 35 kilometers, which mirrors the people who had been asked to leave displaced to go to Rafa.”

“We did it in one day in challenging conditions. It took us eight hours in total. We finished in Campbell’s at the Reek with some gorgeous music. It was a beautiful end to a very tough day, but a very enjoyable day.”

Kay Egan, Soprano Celine Byrne, Sile Seoige, Melanie McGovern, Emily Jean O Byrne

MORE The iDonate page for Gala For Gaza remains open for anyone who would like to donate and is available at www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/galaforgaza