His talent lives on

Not long after Ross O’Connor passed away in 2020, his family stumbled upon a CD he had made and pressed play. Nothing could have prepared them for what they heard.

The voice coming through the speakers was that of Ross, singing a selection of covers and original songs with a raw talent that simply blew them all away.

Eager to share his late brother’s gift, Ross’ brother Roy made copies of the CD and gave them out to family and friends as a memento and celebration of their lost loved one. Everybody loved it and Roy soon decided he wanted to find a way to share this precious memory while raising funds for some much needed local causes. This was the start of the Music Heals journey.

Roy reached out to Garry McCarthy of The Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeny to discuss the possibility of putting together a Memorial CD of Ross’ recordings along with performances from Ross’ two children Cara and Coben. Having inherited their father’s musical talent, both Cara and Coben visit The Kabin regularly and are talented musicians.

Coben was on ‘The Late Late Toy Show’ in December 2021 where he rapped as part of a group with Ed Sheeran. Cara has written her own songs, is part of the talented group Misneach, and is a collaborator on the Hapnin podcast.

The resulting CD is a collection of 25 songs including three originals written by Ross O’Connor. Cara sings Tracy Chapman’s 'Fast Car’, whilst also collaborating with Coben for ‘Got Your Back’, their take of an original song, ‘Sometimes’, written by their dad. Coben also recorded an original rap which he wrote specifically for the CD, called ‘Levitating’, and designed some of the artwork for the CD sleeve.

The Memorial CD will be launched at Music Heals, a family day of fun, music and fundraising at the Black Market in Cork city on 1 May from 2-5pm. The event will feature guest performances by Korey Power, Dylan Brickley, Myles Gaffney, The Kabin Crew, Misneach, and other local acts.

All proceeds from the CD and from the event will be divided equally between The Kabin Studio, The Cork Life Centre and Anam Croí. There will be 3,000 CDs for sale at €10 each. Entry to Music Heals is €10 for adults, €5 for children and €20 for a family of up to five.