Johnny Logan 'Driving Home for Christmas' in memory of Shay Healy

The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is releasing a Christmas charity single 'Driving Home for Christmas', a reimagined cover of Chris Rea’s 1987 iconic hit song.

This new collaboration with three times Eurovision winner, Ashbourne's Johnny Logan, and producer, Jimmy Smyth from Navan, will help raise vital funds for Parkinson’s Association of Ireland (PAI) while at the same time supporting the Irish Chamber Orchestra’s free education and social development projects, Sing Out With Strings and the Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra.

The single is in memory of the late great songwriter, Shay Healy, who wrote Logan's Eurovision winning 'What's Another Year?' in 1980, and at whose funeral service in Mount Jerome guitarist Jimmy Smyth played at.

The charity single will be available for purchase on https://www.irishchamberorchestra.com/driving-home-for-christmas/ and will raise vital funds to help people living with Parkinson's and enable the ICO to continue its valuable work in Limerick city providing more than 300 children weekly with free music education through its Sing Out With Strings and Irish Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra initiatives.

The music was directed by Katherine Hunka, and arranged and produced by Jimmy Smyth. The artwork for the Driving Home for Christmas single has been designed and created by the artist Robert Ballagh. There will also be a limited edition of 78 only Gicleé Prints available for sale on ICO’s online store at www.irishchamberorchestra.com. The original artwork is to auctioned in due course.

The figure 78 represents the late Shay Healy’s age on his death from Parkinson’s earlier this year and coincidentally, artist Robert Ballagh celebrates his 78th milestone this year. Shay had Meath connections through his late wife Dympna, whose family roots were in Bective. He and Dympna attended her aunt, the late Terri Finlay's 100th birthday celebrations in Trim in 2010.