Berkeley Academy fundraiser raises more than €30,000

Money from concert and online campaign will go to survivors and their families

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend an event hosted by Nicky Byrne for injured and their families.

Organisers hope to have raised more than €30,000 after Thursday night’s concert for surviviors of the Berkeley balcony collapse.

The event at the Academy venue in Dublin raised about €15,000 in ticket sales, according to Toni Wall from Wall2Wall PR, while an associated account on website gofundme.com had received more than €8,000 by Friday morning. Ms Wall said she expected raffle ticket receipts to bring in another few thousand euro.

The money will go to the survivors and their families and will help cover medical expenses, home refittings, flight tickets and other costs.

Ms Wall said everyone involved in the Academy event – the acts, the venue, host Nicky Byrne and others – offered their services for free.

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The performers included Mundy, Jape, Daft Funk, Kurtis Wade and Kodaline. Tickets cost €25.

Five Irish students and one Irish-American were killed last month when the balcony they were standing on collapsed at a 21st birthday party in Berkeley, California. Seven other Irish students were injured.

Three of the injured, Seán Fahey, Jack Halpin and Conor Flynn, have already flown home to Ireland to continue their recovery. Clodagh Cogley, Aoife Beary, Hannah Waters and Niall Murray are being treated at the Santa Clara Valley medical centre, south of San Francisco.

Mr Flynn attended the event at the Academy on Thursday.

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin is an Irish Times journalist