Photo: Paul Mullins
by Rose Rushe
RAPE Crisis Midwest and CARI (Children at Risk in Ireland) are the beneficiaries of this year’s Roches Street Arts Festival which will involve the work of one or two of c.60 artists being featured in each of the 30 businesses on the street.
Announcing details of the event, from Monday September 7 to Saturday 19, Roches Street traders’ chairman Roy Finucane explained that 25 per cent of the value of their sales is donated to the nominated charities. Some artists such as Brian Park donate all, minus the cost of framing/ materials.
He also paid tribute to Hugh Lilburn, formerly of Just Split travel agency, “who almost single handedly kept the festival going over the years” but who stepped aside for 2015.
Photo: Paul Mullins
“I believe Roches Street has raised in excess of €100,000 to date for local charities which is wonderful, particularly in the struggle of the recent past for business,” observed Mr Finucane, director Tax Assist. “This year Arts Connect, a local art group will provide entertainment on the Saturday (September 12) from 10am to 4pm”.
The reception welcomed best-selling author Colm O’Brien of Carambola Kidz, who will open the festival at Lily, a new Roches Street shop on Monday September 7. The charities were represented by Verena Tarpey of RCM and Helen Coot for CARI.
Speaking to the Limerick Post, MsTarpey said they were delighted to be a nominated beneficiary this year “especially when we had to close all three centres in Ennis, Nenagh and Limerick for a month last year.
“We were able to the stagger the Limerick centre working with SATU, the sexual assault technical unit in the regional hospital, plus we were able to give a skeleton counselling service in Limerick”.
Photo: Paul Mullins
Around 85 people attend their Limerick centre at Punch’s Cross each week from across the Mid West.
“A lot of these are in long term counselling. About 70 per cent of these adults, men and women, were sexually abused as children and the rest is made up of women who were recently raped or assaulted”, she explained.
CARI fundraiser Helen Coote spoke of the charity’s diminishing profile due to funding cuts, with services in Tralee, Cork and Galway now gone. However they still provide a range of services to children, adolescents and families affected by childhood abuse at their Limerick base on the Ennis Road.
Photo: Paul Mullins
Purchase process for the art works – painting, pastels, charcoals, inks, occasional ceramic and sculpture – is by private treaty between the public and artist. Each commercial premises is showcase for and holder of art until the festival winds down after Saturday September 19.
