Errol Walsh

Singer/songwriter Errol Walsh from Northern Ireland has been pretty quiet on the music front for the past ten years. Semi-retired I guess you could say…. although he still keeps his hand in and enjoys playing professionally or otherwise, with friends old and new, both at home and abroad.

When he returned to Northern Ireland from London in 2001 he’d had enough of the music business and felt he needed to think about slowing down a bit and doing something a little less stressful with his life.

Accordingly, he hooked up with an old friend from Belfast and for the next seven years got involved in the ‘Lagan Boat Company’ running Titanic boat tours for tourists on the River Lagan and starting up a maritime heritage charity. Yes folks… the Titanic was built in Belfast! … and as they proudly say in Belfast “She was alright when she left here!”

Soon after arriving in Belfast, Errol met his wife-to-be Susan, and here’s where the road leads indirectly back to music again.

Susan’s daughter suffers from Huntington’s disease, the same disease that took the life of American folk legend Woody Guthrie. Huntington’s disease is a rare and devastating condition and receives little recognition or support from either government or the public.

Errol felt the best way he could contribute to raising awareness of Huntington’s disease and lobby for better services for Susan’s daughter and other HD sufferers and their families in N. Ireland was to sell up his share in the boat company and sign on as a consultant Development Officer with the Huntington’s Disease Association in Northern Ireland.

With his musical background and his affinity for the songs of Woody Guthrie, Errol (with two award winning CDs already under his belt… “Coyotes” and “Waltzing on the Water”) decided to put his musical and song-writing talents to work in a bid to raise awareness and funds for HDANI by joining up the dots between music and Huntington’s disease in the form of a new CD comprising 12 new original songs.

Proceeds of all sales go directly towards supporting Huntington’s Disease.

For information on Huntington’s disease check out www.hdani.org.uk

The CD is called ‘No Borders’ signifying that when HD strikes, it is indiscriminate in recognising ‘no borders’ in terms of age, gender or race or ethnicity. It’s a hereditary, neurological condition… a brain disease, which is passed on through successive generations, is ultimately terminal and currently has no cure.

By mail: (£11 inc. delivery) Please make cheques payable to ''Huntington’s Disease Association Northern Ireland'' and send along with your name and return address to:

72, Glen Rd, Glenariff, Ballymena, BT44 0RG, Northern Ireland

Please note: Online orders will go through to 'Northern Light Music' (Steve Kennedy) for initial processing but take note that ALL proceeds will still go to the Huntington's Disease charity. Thank you.

If you've taken in all the above and fancy dipping your ears into the album in advance, you could try visiting the MySpace page where there are a few tracks loaded up, JUST DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK!

http://www.myspace.com/errolwalsh