Almost €25,000 raised for Syrian refugees in Lebanon

An Irish singer and a faith-based community group have raised almost €25,000 in separate appeals for Syrian refugees who fled to Lebanon due to conflict.

Róisín O’Reilly, from Cavan but now living in Dublin recorded her interpretation of the Christmas classic ‘O Holy Night’ with the aim of raising funds for refugee schoolchildren in Tyre, Lebanon.

She says on her ‘gofundme’ online fundraising page: “Several years ago I was introduced to Fr William Stuart’s work in Tyre, south Lebanon when he founded this school for Syrian refugee children displaced by the Syrian war.

“These children are known as ‘street children’ – they work on the streets, from 8am every day selling anything from hair clips to chewing gum to anyone who will buy.

“This song choice, O Holy Night, seemed most appropriate as the holy family themselves were refugees at the time Jesus was born. They fled Bethlehem in what’s known as ‘The Flight into Egypt’ after King Herod ordered the slaughter of every boy under the age of two on hearing of the birth of Jesus.”

In a separate appeal, faith-group Creideamh, with the help of the people of the greater Ballinasloe area, raised almost €12,000 in a Syrian Refugee Winter Blanket, Clothing and Necessities Appeal, with the proceeds going to Trócaire.

Secretary of Creideamh, Justin Harkin said of the refugees: “I am fearful for them. In the course of our fundraising this hit some of us on the committee quite strongly at a personal level and we began to realise, actually this is bigger than we recognised.”