Zion Vocal Ensemble Choir launch first CD for suicide prevention
In Honour of International Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday, September 10, Zion Vocal Ensemble will launch their first charity CD at 7 pm in the Limerick Strand Hotel. The CD will include an original song created with the help of the University of Limerick’s World Academy of Music and Dance and all proceeds from the album will be donated to Limerick Suicide Watch.
Established in 2015, Zion Vocal Ensemble is a community choir made up of members from right across Limerick City and County, of all ages and abilities. “We meet once a week, and have performed at weddings, funerals, charity and community events” explained choir director Stephen Dunne. The group teamed up with UL student Ciarán O’ Cuinneagain as part of his MA in Community Music, and have written their first song called ‘Reclamation’. The song celebrates singing as a powerful healing tool to express our emotions and the lyrics include, “Sing out your emotions, sing and make them real, life can be so so hard, acknowledge how you feel.”
Stephen says, “Singing expresses that which words cannot. We sing to show our emotions so that in times of joy it is uplifting while in times of sorrow, it can heal our pain. For most people in our choir singing has been a part of our lives for as long as we can remember and from a very early age, we are inclined to sing, even before we can speak.”
Limerick Suicide Watch is a voluntary group established in May 2016. “Our main aim is to help people who may be feeling distressed or suicidal, getting them safely away from the water’s edge,” says Lucy O’Hara, PRO with LSW.
Volunteers of Limerick Suicide Watch walk and cycle the streets of Limerick several nights a week from 8 pm, and concentrate on areas where there have been high incidents of suicide. In total there are 52 volunteers who patrol in groups of 8, and over the last 12 months, Limerick Suicide Watch have had up to 100 interventions.
For more info contact Susan O’Neill at zionchoirlimerick@gmail.com
