A special charity concert is to take place later this month in memory of a beloved Inishowen woman on her 21st heavenly birthday.
Bubbly Alana Harkin will be lovingly celebrated at the event on Friday, July 17 at Tul na Ri in Carndonagh – her former workplace and where she made many wonderful memories.
Alana. from Gleneely, was just 18 years old when she and her friend Thomas Gallagher tragically lose their lives in a collision on November 6, 2023.
On every birthday since her passing, Alana’s parents Karen and Patrick and her siblings Calum, Shay and Shauna, have celebrated the life of a young woman who was beautiful both inside and out.
One of Alana’s best friends, Amy O’Connor, told of how the family wanted to ‘go all out’ for Alana’s 21st and drew on one of her greatest joys as their inspiration.
“Alana was a big concert goer. When Niall Horan announced his Irish tour, she bought tickets for all his Irish shows. She loved Harry Styles, Picture This – you name it, Alana was going.
“So, what better way than to go all out for her 21st than to have a concert for Alana?”
Amy described how Alana was unforgettable and ‘made such a mark on everyone’.
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“Once you met her, that was it. She was that wee blonde lassie, running around, who always had a minute for everyone.
“People always remembered her. Her mammy, daddy and siblings have done such a fabulous job of keeping her memory alive and would love her to be remembered as the amazing person she was.”
Alana’s 21st Heavenly Birthday will be celebrated with a charity concert.
Amy admitted that the concert will be emotional, as they mark Alana’s 21st birthday without her, but said her kind, loving friend would want them to have fun.
“It will be tough, but Alana would want us to dance the night away and have fun. That’s the type of person she was. Her 21st birthday, if she was here, would have been massive. We would have had to hire out the 3 Arena. You couldn’t go anywhere without her ‘yapping’ to someone.
“She is missed so much. She is very much part of us all and all Alana’s friends love and are close to her family. While it will be sad on the night that she is not with us, we’ll remember all the happy memories too.
“She loved working in Simpson’s and they still honour her and have a picture of her in the bar.
Alana’s friends and family say she would want everyone to ‘have fun.’
“They have been so good to her family. So, Alana would want everyone to put on their dancing shoes and have fun. The concert is also for two brilliant causes – Bocan Community First Responders and Hughie’s Corner Child and Adolescent Therapeutic Services.”Doors open at 7.30pm and there will be a raffle on the night. Entry is 10 euro and tickets can be purchased in Simpson’s, Carndonagh.”
Amy, a singer-songwriter, is part of a fantastic line-up of entertainment, that also includes The Two Bucks, Hitched, Small Gods, Sean Barr, John Jack and Gang and DJ Kemmy.
Also see the event Facebook page.