Heather Humphreys with Des O'Connor, Dinny McGinley and Senator Manus Boyle. PHOTO: Siobhán McNamara
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23 Oct 2025
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23 Oct 2025
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John Collins, who died in October 2024, was a long-standing member of the popular music session in the Sean Tí Bar in Greencastle
A fund-raising music session involving musicians from across Ireland is taking place in Greencastle in memory of the Moville singer John Collins
Mr Collins, who was originally from Garryowen in Co Limerick, died last October after a battle against stomach cancer.
A retired firefighter, he was a long-standing member of the popular music session in the Sean Tí Bar in Greencastle.
A fundraiser via GoFundMe Ireland has been organised by a group of local session musicians and friends in Mr Collin’s memory on behalf of the Friends of Inishowen Hospice.
A raffle has also been organised across the local community with the support of local businesses to enhance the funds raised.
The culmination of the fundraising will be a session in the Sean Tí Bar - known locally as the Shanty - on Friday, July 18 at 9pm.
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Musicians from Belfast, Kerry, Leicester, Moville and Greencastle will be participating and volunteers from the Friends of Inishowen Hospice will be in attendance on the evening.
His friends who have organised the fundraiser say on GoFundMe that after a long and arduous battle against stomach cancer, he “had embarked upon his hope-filled journey towards recovery in early 2024, determined to live life to the full again”.
He declared his intent to raise much needed funds for the Friends of Inishowen Hospice after the group had “literally knocked on his own door offering counselling and well being therapies to aid his recovery”.
“Of course John opted to use his gifted singing voice as the focus of that fundraising. He would also rally his many musician friends to join him in the Shanty in Greencastle where he had been helping to organise regular sessions for over 20 years. Musically it was his home from home.”
Unforeseen complications delayed his organisation of the fundraising effort and he lost his brave battle in October, 20.
However, he had always been assured by his fellow musicians that the fundraiser would be realised.
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