Tullamore festival to celebrate life of Ashling Murphy with special concert 

Ashling Murphy. Picture: Kerry County Board of Comhaltas.

A special concert dedicated to Ashling Murphy will take place at the Tullamore TradFest this Sunday.

It is the first event to raise money for a trust set up by the family of the 23-year-old primary school teacher, who was killed while jogging along the canal bank at Cappincur, Tullamore in January.

Taking place on Sunday evening, ‘Ceiliúradh Ceolmhar ar Ashling Murphy' will see a number of performers at Tullamore Court Hotel as part of the special musical tribute.

The Murphy family recently established the Ashling Murphy Memorial Trust for causes and organisations close to Ashling’s heart. So far, over €2,700 has been raised in support of the trust ahead of the TradFest this weekend.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, James Hogan, who is an organiser of the event and Principal at Durrow National School, where Ms Murphy taught, described it as a “celebration of her life”.

“Our main aim is to showcase and celebrate what she did for traditional music not only in our local area but across the world," Mr Hogan said.

Showcasing and promoting what this fantastic human being and lovely lady did in her 23 short years.

The event will feature performances from Ashling's family, friends and groups that she performed with including the Sacred Heart School Choir and Orchestra.

Mr Hogan described the event as a “story of her life through music”.

“We’ve been robbed of a fantastic human being who had so much else to give but we are very grateful for what she has given too, and it is important that any money that is raised goes to the family and they will disperse it to the relevant charities and organisations.” 

Ceiliúradh Ceolmhar ar Ashling Murphy will take place at 6pm at the Tullamore Court Hotel on Sunday. While tickets have sold out, the event will also be live-streamed on the Tullamore TradFest Facebook page.

More information is available on tullamoretradfest.com and donations to the Ashling Murphy Memorial Trust can be made through the online fundraiser.