Tipperary dancing community rally to support musician whose career has been halted by ill health

Huge crowds are expected to attend a fundraiser to be held in Fethard Ballroom on Wednesday (November 11) for a musician who performs regularly at the venue.

Dermot Lyons plays a social dancing gig once every two months at the venue but he is not on the bill this Wednesday night, as a serious illness has stopped him from performing.

Instead, his musician friends from four bands will play to raise funds for Dermot and his family after his music career was brought to an abrupt halt over twelve months ago.

“We have anything from 80 to 150 people attending a social dancing night in Fethard Ballroom and all the people who come dancing, the organisers, and everybody involved were very saddened to hear of Dermot's ill health. He will probably never be able to work again, and he is in his mid-fifties and has four young children,” said Mary Richardson,PRO of the Fethard and Killusty Community Ballroom committee that organises the weekly social dancing event.

Mary said Dermot loved coming to play in Fethard every seven or eight weeks and people of South Tipperary, Waterford and beyond who attended the dancing every Sunday night were very attached to him.

“He was very popular among all the dancers but he has not been able to play in Fethard or anywhere else because of his illness for over twelve months,” said Mary.

The social dancing group at the Fethard and Killusty Community Ballroom was established 34 years ago and is going strong.

“There will be a special atmosphere on Wednesday night as everybody wants to help out Dermot and his family. There is hardly a dance venue in Munster that has not held a fundraiser for Dermot in the last year. Not only will our own regulars who had a great rapport with Dermot be dancing on Wednesday night, but there will be people coming from all over Munster to support the family at the Fethard Ballroom,” said Mary.

Dermot is from Charleville in County Cork and his career has been halted by serious heart issues.

“Members of the Fethard committee met him earlier in the year. He has been battling heart failure. When we met him, he had only 11% of his heart working, and that is now up to 15%,” said Mary.

On Wednesday night, the doors will open at 7 pm, and dancing will begin at 8pm. Four live bands, Peter Burke, Declan Aungier, Teddy and Cathal Barry and Pat Daly, will provide the music. Admission is €10 and there will be a raffle on the night with the top prize of €400 and plenty of other prizes.

“All of the fundraisers all over Munster have had big crowds in attendance, and it will be the same in Fethard on Wednesday night. All of the musicians playing on Wednesday night really wanted to help and all of the dancers will also be delighted to get an opportunity to support Dermot,” said Mary.