U2 frontman Bono has remixed one of the band’s classic songs and dedicated it to former RTÉ broadcaster Charlie Bird ahead of his planned climb of Croagh Patrick to raise money for charity.
The song is a remix of I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight, which has been renamed as Crazy Mountain. It premiered on RTÉ Radio 1’s Ryan Tubridy Show this morning.
Lyrics include the fitting “it’s not a hill, it’s a mountain, as you start out the climb/Do you believe me or are you doubting? We’re gonna make it all the way to the light”.
Mr Bird, who last year revealed he had motor neurone disease, has said the Climb with Charlie charity campaign is to help anyone who is facing an uphill battle, be it mental or physical.
He has been losing his voice as a result of the condition but introduced the song using voice banking software developed by Keith Davey, founder of Marino Software in Dublin, and Trevor Vaugh, assistant professor at the Department of Design Innovation in NUI Maynooth.
It was created using three hours of audio clips of Bird’s voice, taken from RTÉ archives.
The climb will take place on April 2nd and all money raised will be split between the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta House.
There will be a limit on the number of people who can attend the climb, so Bird is encouraging people to set up walks or climbs in their local area.
He said they can “set up their own fundraisers to climb in their local area, be it climbing a set of stairs or a short walk around the house, around a local park, a walk to the beach, whatever you are able to do”.
Donations can be made atwww.climbwithcharlie.ie. So far, almost €180,000 has been raised.
Speaking on the Late Late show last month, Bird said he used to cry every day after learning he had motor neurone disease. He made his diagnosis public last October and said he had been given three years to live.
“I have found peace, I really have. . . I cried every day. I don’t cry now.”
Bird said he has received many letters and cards from members of the public, which helped him get through the hard days.