39 Irish female musicians come together to cover The Cranberries ‘Dreams’ in aid of domestic abuse victims
By Lauren Heskin
17th Jun 2020
17th Jun 2020
The likes of RuthAnne, Loah, Caroline Corr, Elaine Mai, Erica Cody, Imelda May and Lisa Hannigan have joined together as Irish Women in Harmony to cover The Cranberries in support of domestic violence charity, Safe Ireland.
As many of us have found comfort in the familiarity of home during these unprecedented times, there are women and children in Ireland who have been less fortunate. Since the beginning of lockdown, An Garda Síochána has reported a 25% increase in domestic violence calls during the pandemic. And these are only the cases that were officially reported and documented, many others have undoubtedly gone unseen and unheard, with Women’s Aid reporting a 39% increase in calls during Covid-19.
Tucked away indoors, it can be difficult to know how to help. However, this didn’t stop Irish singer-songwriter RuthAnne, who asked 38 other female artists and musicians to come together for a single for which all proceeds will go to Safe Ireland, a charity dedicated to changing the culture around and response to domestic violence in Ireland.
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As she explains on Instagram, RuthAnne started “dm-ing Irish female artists and wanted to get a group of together to do something special, remotely.” Suddenly, she had 32 Irish female singers and 7 Irish female musicians willing to help, including the likes of Loah, Caroline Corr, Elaine Mai, Erica Cody, Imelda May and Lisa Hannigan. “We felt it was time to raise our voices together in unity as the women in music from Ireland and come together to support the domestic abuse victims and survivors,” says RuthAnne.
Titling the new collective Irish Women in Harmony, their first single is a cover of The Cranberries’ iconic song, “Dreams”, which drops this Thursday, June 18 at 7pm on YouTube. While all proceeds of the single are going to Safe Ireland, they’re also asking for people to donate €4 by texting “SAFE” to 50300.
The collaborators are hoping that this is just the beginning for Irish Women in Harmony. As RuthAnne points out, “there are so many more [Irish female creatives] out there”.
Featured image via Irish Women in Harmony on Instagram
Read more: Domestic violence victims given access to Rent Supplement without means test
Read more: Coronavirus restrictions: ‘My home isn’t a safe space for me. I’m struggling’
Read more: This new campaign is highlighting how financial abuse affects women in Ireland
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