Kildare garden concert to raise funds for Aware 

WHEN Kilcullen musician Pat Kelly live-streamed a concert from his front garden in 2020, many locals gathered in socially-distanced groups in his Bishop Rogan Park estate to listen. 

The event raised a respectable sum in donations for the Jack and Jill Foundation. 

Now he's hoping to top that on 30 August of this year, with a top-class lineup of local singers, this time to support the Aware mental health charity.

The Anvil at Rest gig is being staged once again in Pat and Lorraine Kelly's front garden, running from 3pm to 5pm, and everyone is welcome to come along, bring a picnic blanket or camping chair, and enjoy an afternoon of music with friends, family, and neighbours in the surroundings of Bishop Rogan Park. 

The event is being live-streamed through Facebook.

Aware supports mental health through education and support services and promotes understanding of the issue across Ireland. 

"Very many families have experience of mental health problems, and I felt that I wanted to do something for it," Pat said at a launch last week of the event in McTernan's Bar in Kilcullen. "When I began looking for artistes for it, I got a great response."

The performers will include Arlene Bailey, the Sallins-based country singer who has resumed her music career in country rock after a break from the business. 

Arlene has worked with some of the finest musicians in Nashville, including Bob Hatter, Donnie Skaggs, and Gene Rabbai. Arlene is also an ambassador for Aware.

Lorraine Nolan from Newbridge, director of the Liffey Choir and a former lead vocalist with Riverdance, as well as having an extensive portfolio of national and international performance, has also come on board.

The concert will also feature Kilkenny-born singer-songwriter Canice Keane, who lives in Kilcullen and is another member of the Liffey Choir along with Pat Kelly himself. 

Gordon Turner, musician and nationally-known sound engineer, will be ensuring the sound quality as well as taking a turn on stage himself. 

Also on the card are Emma Kayaalp, Yvonne Ennis, and John and Joe Kelly. And, of course, Pat himself will do a turn or too at the microphone, as well as MC-ing the gig.

When it came to a name for the event, which Pat hopes will become an annual mini-festival, he chose the anvil to reflect his father's work as a blacksmith and his late brother Ned's prowess as both blacksmith and master farrier.

Donations for Aware associated with the event can be given via a QR code and can also be made on the day for those who go along to hear the music live.

A social media campaign for Anvil at Rest is being organised by Emma Keane.