Cork musician uses transformed donkey box to entertain children in direct provision

Áine Duffy will play for hundreds of children from the Duffbox in direct provision centres around Cork in the coming weeks

Cork musician Aine Duffy who will be bringing her converted donkey box to play music for children in direct provision centres in the coming weeks .Picture: Emma Olivia Dorman.

A Cork musician is to bring her innovative ‘Duffbox’ — a donkey box transformed into a gig venue — to play for children in direct provision centres.

Áine Duffy will play for hundreds of children in direct provision centres around Cork in the coming weeks.

The Duffbox Children’s Project is funded by Cork County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

“I hope to put a smile on the children’s faces and hopefully bring a lot of joy," Ms Duffy said.

“The kids need some fun. Music brings people joy. I want to bring that joy to those kids.

“And kids love the Duffbox. Their response to it has been amazing. And they have no inhibitions, they love to dance. They’re so excited to hear live music.

“Hopefully we’ll see lots of happy little faces.

“I also hope it opens up a door for other musicians to come in and play to people in direct provision.” 

On August 25, she will play for 150 children in direct provision in Millstreet and on August 27, she will play for children in direct provision in Clonakilty.

She has a third gig scheduled for a Mallow secondary school on September 1.

Ms Duffy previously distributed hundreds of teddy bears to children in direct provision after she had used them for a music video.

That experience made her want to do more to help children living through difficult times in direct provision.

I wanted to do something else for them. We have so much and they have so little. If we were in their position, I would hope someone would step forward to help us. 

Before the pandemic, she would put refugees on her guest list at her gigs and she had a former asylum seeker play in her band for some time.

She said that Cork County Council has been very supportive of local musicians through its live music scheme.

That has allowed the public to enjoy live music at events throughout the county while helping musicians sustain themselves with work over what has been a difficult time for the arts.

Cork musician Aine Duffy created her Duffbox over the pandemic while searching for a way to continue gigging safely. Picture: Jimmy Howard

Although Covid lockdowns have faded into recent memory for many, Ms Duffy still has gigs cancelled because of covid. 

After arriving in Antwerp for a gig in July, it was suddenly cancelled due to the pandemic.

“You really see that it’s still there when you’re putting on events,” she said.

She created her Duffbox over the pandemic while searching for a way to continue gigging safely and to tour her new single ‘I’ll Wear White’.

As food trucks and coffee shops in horse boxes boomed in popularity over successive lockdowns, Ms Duffy decided to adapt the idea for music. 

She found an old donkey box for sale in her local area and turned it into a mobile gig venue, with its own stage and sound system from which she could safely perform outdoor gigs, even when venues were closed for all indoor trade.

As the housing crisis continues to bite, she is now considering expanding her Duffbox idea by renovating a campervan which can be used by visiting musicians for both accommodation and transport when coming to Ireland to tour. 

Accommodation has been so difficult to find in Ireland this summer that Ireland’s largest theatre, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre appealed for people with spare rooms to house visiting performers.