THE CAROLAN PROJECT

CHARITIES

"It a good thing you're doing here. I have limited time between work and kids to fit in regular charity work, unfortunately. I do however try my best to raise as much money as possible, generally doing 2/4 sporting challenges during the summer months. For some reason folks must like to see me suffer physically as I raised €600+ last year for Down Syndrome Ireland completing the Ring of Kerry Cycle Race This year I've completed the Ring of Kerry Cycle again and am running The Warriors Run in Sligo on Saturday (Aug 23rd 2014) which is an event only for the maddest of us. Hoping to raise a lot on the back of that."

"Last year (Sept '10 - Dec '11) I worked as a family support worker with a charity called Homestart. We helped parents with young children who are experiencing difficulties in their lives; the idea being that if you help the parents you help the children. I also worked voluntarily for school in the same town, setting up a school farm in a depressed area."

"Thank you for your incredibly generous offer! What a wonderful inspiration you have had to encourage folks to get more involved in charity work. I do some, but you have me thinking - we should do even more! I play acoustic guitar sometimes solo, but more often along with my wife (hammered dulcimer) and various friends in several combinations (violin, Irish flute, penny whistle, button accordion, mandolin, piano etc). We play (for free) on certain occasions for example: to benefit someone who needs money for medical attention; or to entertain folks in nursing homes or a hospital; and we do benefits to raise money for no-kill animal shelters. I played solo guitar at a funeral once for a friend whose brother had been killed, and not long ago with another friend at a Hospice Barn gospel event for the volunteers and supporters at their thrift shop. If you are inclined to send your O'Carolan Project index along - I'd love to add some more O'Carolan tunes to my fingerstyle list. Thank you Mike, and may God bless your efforts in UK and around the world!"

"My wife teaches at a local technical school. They've typically used paper grade books and entered the results into their computer system at the end of each term. If a teacher or student wanted to check their current grade or see which tests or assignments might have been missed during a term, they had to make up an ad hoc sheet showing only that student's scores. I built a spreadsheet that tracks each student's progress within three weighted areas so that at any point, a grade report can be printed for any student in any class taught by each teacher. If they wanted to, they could produce weekly grade reports for everyone. They still enter the results into the official computer system at school, but now they have access to the data during the term and can review results with any student without disclosing anyone else's scores. I did this for free because my wife works there but now it's used by all of the teachers for the benefit of their work."

"I study in the IB ( International Baccalaureate) track at my school because i aim to continue my studies at the USA. As IB students, we have to complete 150 hours of CAS (Creativity - Action - Service). I have already spent 70 hours of action and service, by forming a business and donating all my profits to HAYTAP, a Turkish animal-rights organization. My business, took famous food brands to my school and sold food to students. I managed to make about 1500 liras in 70 hours, to donate to HAYTAP. 1500 liras is about 750 euros. Only thing left in my CAS work is, 10 hours of creativity. I will teach guitar to orphans, after I generate enough profit to buy 5-6 classical guitars. I already arranged my classes with them."

"I am involved in work that helps folks. Since 2006 I have been helping 3 children in Papua New Guinea to go to school. I met their mother who lives in a village in the Eastern Highlands in 2006. Some friends and I (3 of us) built a home for them as they were living much the way the folks in the camps of Haiti are living now. Since then I have been sending 2000 to 2400 per year to send the children to school. Does that count for charity work and free tabs? Whether it does or not thanks for all the work you did on the O'Carolan Project. I have learned a lot by trying to figure out the music but I know it would be easier if I had the tabs."

"I'd dearly love to download the TableEdit files from your site. I'm particularly interested in a guitar version of "Eleanor Plunkett".
Since 2001 I have been involved in charity work for Springhill Hospice in Rochdale Lancs and recently for The Leonard Cheshire Home at Honresfeld in Littleborough Lancs. A group of us associated with a local amateur theatre regularly perform a local traditional version of the Pace Egg Play and we collect for Springhill Hospice or Honresfeld. We perform from Easter until summer at various venues around Rochdale and Bury and even venturing into Yorkshire! On a good year, we've managed to collect or have donated as much as £600. Here's the theatre site with the link to the Pace Egg."

"I am a nurse, community working in SE London and believe music is the key to recovery. I regularly input (unpaid) to a music group I established within a Mental Health Clinic. Please could you send me some Carolan files so that I could share this in the group. I will credit all the tabs to your website."

"I play for our guests. Our guests are hospice patients. They are not charged or billed for the care they receive here. We are totally supported though donations. Hospice Agencies come to provide medical care and our volunteers provide the family-like care. Check out our web site. My wife's mom grew up in Nobber, County Meath, Ireland, where Mr O'Carolan was born. My wife sings like an angel and sometimes uses her voice as an instrument while I attempt to play these great tunes. I may not make the mark, but it sure sounds nice. And is good for my soul to continue doing this charity work."

"I run a residential treatment center for kids in Austin, TX (the live music capital of the world) and am an active member of several mental health advocacy groups. I will make a $100 donation to Mental Health America, Austin Chapter on Tuesday. That money will go to support afternoon therapy activities for chronically mentally ill folks around the area."

"I will put in a full day with Dunecare, which is restoring our beautiful coastal dunes by removing non-native plants and replacing them with local varieties and by general tidying up and rubbish removal. The non-native plants were introduced on purpose 30-40 years ago to help stabilise the dunes and are now running riot, squeezing out all the native ones. Such is life."

"I'm 66 years old and a hospice nurse, working in patients' homes for the Suncoast Hospice in Pinellas County, Florida. I'm learning the guitar to be able to play for them, since my feeling is that if you don't share your music, why bother to learn it. I'm hoping this will qualify me as doing charitable work, even though I do get paid for it. "

"On Sundays, I usually busk, without asking for donations, in the park. I like your idea and would be more than happy to play for donations that I would gladly donate to a local charity of which there are many! "

"I live and work in Beijing. The streets of Beijing are full of blind musicians. Most play erhu, the upright Chinese fiddle. I pledge to donate 20 kuai (about $2) to every blind musician I see in the next month in the memory of Carolan. I further pledge to work hard at learning your arrangements and educating my Chinese students and friends in the rich tradition of Celtic music."