Fundraising CD documenting life work of Limerick nun launched

A CD about the life of a Limerick nun has been released to raise money for the Phoenix Creative Therapy Centre.

Compassion, The Life and Work of Sister Mary Carmel O' Donoghue is a charity album which documents the nun's life through song.

Sister Mary Carmel O' Donoghue trained as a Salesian Sister in her teens and started working to help the vulnerable youths of Limerick, in particular children from the traveling community.

Originally from Limerick city, Sister Mary Carmel returned to Limerick in 1996 after graduating as an Art Psychotherapist from Goldsmiths College in London.

She then helped set up a creative arts charity called The Blue Box along with art therapist Austin Creaven, providing free support and therapy services to the youth in Limerick.

In 2015, Sr. Mary Carmel went on to set up Phoenix Creative Therapy Centre (PCPC), another creative arts charity for the youth of Limerick where she continues to work today.

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The idea for the album came from the friendship between Sr. Mary Carmel and music therapist Siân Brown who works at the PCPC.

One day Sr. Mary Carmel was talking to Siân about how she might document her life's work and Siân, being a music therapist and singer/songwriter, suggested writing an album.

The pair then collaborated on the album which is made up of 13 tracks that describe her early life, her training as a Salesian Sister and her decades of charity work.

Austin Creaven, a senior art therapist at PCPC, designed the CD, CD cover and booklet using a picture painted by Sr. Mary Carmel.

Sr. Mary Carmel said she was very pleased with the CD and the money it would raise to help young people and their families in Limerick who need therapeutic support.

She said: "It's nice to know, after all these years, that I am still able to give my life to the work and am very grateful to everyone involved in the Phoenix Creative Psychotherapy Centre charity enabling this too."

A concert to launch the CD will be held on Friday March 11 from 6pm to 9pm at Tait House, Roxboro Road.