PHOTOS – Strictly Come Dancing Abbeyfeale Fundraiser

Strictly Come Dancing Abbeyfeale Fundraiser-  Pictured above the 13 Couples with their dance teacher Debbie O’ Driscoll. Photo by Dolf Patijn /ilovelimerick.com

Strictly Come Dancing Abbeyfeale Fundraiser took place in the Devon Inn Hotel on Sunday, May 8 to raise funds for the town of Abbeyfeale and this was one event not to be missed.

Thirteen couples comprised of the best movers from Tournafulla, Duagh, Mountcollins, Abbeyfeale and surrounding areas came together under the umbrella of Fealeside Strictly Come Dancing in a bid to raise much need funds for their local community. Richard Lynch of ilovelimerick.com was the MC for the night and the dancers performed in front of a large audience form Abbeyfeale and beyond as well as a tough panel of judges. Michael Healy Ray, Councillor Liam Galvin, Mayor of the City and County of Limerick , Angela O’ Rourke and Marian Harnett formed the judging panel on the night and they had a tough job when it came to crowning a winner.

In the end the judges found it too difficult to pick just one couple and crowned dancing partners Jamie Lee and Paul Noonan and also Irene Harnett and Mike Scannell as joint winners. For nine weeks before the night the couples had given so much of their time freely to rehearse everything from sambas to tangos to rock and roll and given as much effort as humanly possible. The couples were put through their paces by their dance instructor Debbie O’ Driscoll from Kerry Dance and Fitness, which clearly paid off when watching performances on the night. Rock Hair Scissors and Beauty sponsored the hair and makeup on the night, ensuring all the contestants looked and felt great before their performance.

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Pictured above Richard Lynch, the judges and the two winning dance couples Photo by Dolf Patijn /ilovelimerick.com

Speaking to one of the winners Jamie Lee she explained how over the nine weeks the contestants became somewhat of a “family unit”, “Abbeyfeale is quiet a small town so it was amazing when I started rehearsals and realised just how many people were from the area that I didn’t know, now however after spending nine weeks in each other’s company we’ve all grown to be great friends, and have become kind of a family in a way”.

Proceeds collected on the night are set to go towards benefiting three local initiatives in the Abbeyfeale community. The initiatives include the Abbeyfeale Town Park, Abbeyfeale Tidy Towns and the Abbeyfeale Christmas Lights committee as they are three initiatives that will benefit the area in the long term. Funds were collected based on ticket sales and fundraising activities organised by contestants and the sponsorship they received.

Bridget Lee, a member of the organising committee for the event was overwhelmed by the support they received from the community. “It created such a sense of community spirit, so many people got involved and helped out on the night”. “The night was a great credit to the committee, a great deal of work went into organising the event,” continued Bridget.

This event came off the back of the Fealeside Expo which took place a few years ago and was a huge success. “Strictly Come Dancing is an event that we will look into putting on again in the future based on the success of last Sunday night,” Bridget added.

Read  more about fundraisers in Limerick here.