WATCH: Irish artists perform in support of healthcare workers

You can watch back on "The Heavy Meitheal Watch Party" in support of healthcare workers here 

The Heavy Meitheal Watch Party brought together some top-notch Irish acts for a fun night of entertainment to raise funds for The Meitheal, an effort organized by Irish and Irish Americans local to New York City in support of frontline workers.

You can watch back on the performances, which aired on Friday, April 24, here:

Read More: New York Irish launch massive support effort amidst coronavirus

The event, which premiered on Friday, April 24, was featured right here on IrishCentral as well as on our Facebook page as part of the IrishCentral Happy Hour series.

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey opened up the show, which also included performances from Colin Quinn, Colum McCann, Niamh Hyland, Chris Byrne, Geraldine Hughes, Matt Mancuso, Mundy, David Goldman, Cheryl Ann Cassidy,  Pride of Moyvane (Margie Mulvihill, John and JohnPaul Reynolds, Mickey Coleman, and Ned Loughran), Larry Kirwan, Enda Keegan, Tony Demarco, Mary Courtney, Miriam Long, Emma Ishta McCabe, and Patrick McGuire.

Sophie Colgan, a native of Co Down who now lives in New Jersey and is one of the organizers of The Meitheal, told IrishCentral: "We all miss being able to spend an evening with friends and family enjoying live Irish trad, so we came up with the idea for 'Heavy Meitheal.'

"We are excited to showcase a virtual night of live music to show our support for frontline staff.

"This night will feature world-renowned musicians and artists, including Damien Dempsey, Mundy, and Colin Quinn, as well as showcase some of the best talent from both New York and Ireland.

"We hope this will encourage people to continue to donate to our GoFundMe and raise everyone's spirits during this challenging time."

Read More: Donation drive for healthcare workers announced across NYC

About The Meitheal

The Meitheal, or Irish America in Support of Healthcare Workers, was launched in New York in late March to meet the needs of healthcare and frontline workers in New York City, which remains the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis in the US.

Meitheal is an old Irish tradition that sees neighbors helping one another in times of need.

Since its inception, the effort has organized two donation drives that have collected truckloads of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other necessities which have been distributed to local hospitals.

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Stephen Long, Sophie Colgan and Brian Glynn help organize a community response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Organizers are additionally running a GoFundMe to raise monetary funds for healthcare workers. As of Thursday evening, the page has raised more than $45,000.

You can learn more about The Meitheal on their Facebook page or email them at [email protected].

Read More: Second NYC donation drive for healthcare workers announced