A single which will be released early next month to raise funds for cancer support services is the result of a collaboration between Ronan Keating and the renowned Mount Sion CBS Choir in Waterford.
This is Your Song was written by Ronan Keating after the death of his mother, Marie Keating, in 1998 and will be released on 5 March after being recorded in recent months by the star and members of the choir.
A video for the song was recorded at Curraghmore Estate in Portlaw, Co Waterford and features Ronan on a big screen along with the choir in the grounds.
All proceeds from the sale of the song will go to the Marie Keating Foundation, which has been providing money for cancer support services for many years.
"It was the most surreal experience because Ronan was in London and we were in Waterford," teacher and choir leader Colette Kearney says of recording the song, while making the video was "a beautiful experience" in Curraghmore.
"What an honour it was to sing with Ronan and then to raise funds for a brilliant charity."
So many families have been affected by cancer, she said, which makes the foundation "close to so many hearts" because of the "incredible work" it does for people across the country.
The Mount Sion Choir has been on the go for eight years, taking part in various concerts, events and fundraisers during that time but this is a new venture for the members.
It is made up of children and young adults aged between 12 and 21 and was initially comprised of pupils of the all-boys Mount Sion CBS Secondary School, before taking in girls from the area.
"Everything was just a big opportunity for me and my family, especially with Ronan Keating," choir member Hayden O'Neill. "I was nervous at first but then I got over it and I think it's a really good song."
Jess Reinl said that the choir was due to travel to New York last year to sing in Carnegie Hall, but after the trip was called off because of Covid-19, recording the single in the meantime gave them something to aim towards.
"It was so surreal, that we get to sing with such an Irish legend that is Ronan Keating, and even the organisation that we're doing it for is such a huge deal, they're a great, great cause. It's amazing to be involved in that," she said.
The 5 March release date is in good time for Mother's Day.
"In a time when so many of us will be apart from our mothers due to Covid-19, we are hoping the single will be a positive force and help create a feeling of togetherness while we remain apart," a spokesperson for the Marie Keating Foundation said.
