![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5088144_11_articleinlinemobile_IMG_7096.jpg\" "\\"A")
A poster for the upcoming tribute concert for Jimmy Crowley to be held at Cork City Hall on June 24<\/p>\nSinger and songwriter Jimmy Crowley has been in hospital for five months after suffering a stroke. He was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer last September. <\/p>\n
His partner, Eve Telford, issued a GoFundMe appeal to raise funds so he could continue his rehabilitation at their Cobh home.<\/p>\n
\u2018Bring him home\u2019 was the plea.<\/p>\n
And Corkonians responded.<\/p>\n
The original target was swiftly smashed, and more than \u20ac100,000 was raised before the fund was closed after just a week.<\/p>\n
Now, Jimmy, 75 – one of the greatest musicians the Rebel County has ever produced – will be going home in a few weeks\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
The music community of Cork, and the diaspora around the world, have also answered the call, and a series of fund-raising concerts is being planned to raise money for Jimmy\u2019s care.<\/p>\n
A tribute gig will take place at Cork City Hall on June 24, with early confirmed acts including Eoin \u00d3 Riabhaigh and Johnny Murphy of Jimmy’s early band Stokers Lodge, John Spillane, the Lee Valley String Band, C\u00f3nal Creedon, The Oars, Eoin Jordan & Anthony Ruby, and The Cheese Club (Singers Club).<\/p>\n
A poster for the upcoming tribute concert for Jimmy Crowley to be held at Cork City Hall on June 24<\/p>\n
Many of Jimmy\u2019s musician friends have supported him in his moment of need.<\/p>\n
Christy Moore, an old friend of Jimmy\u2019s – they toured Cork together 50 years ago – shared the online appeal with the 186,000 followers on his Facebook page and said: \u201cWishing Jimmy the very best and hoping we\u2019ll meet up again soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nor is the outpouring of love for Jimmy confined to his beloved native Cork.<\/p>\n
He has toured all across the U.S and Europe, and fund-raising concerts are being planned to raise money for his cause all around the world – from New York to Dublin, Sherkin Island to Ennis – even The Randy Leprechaun pub in Alicante, Spain!<\/p>\n
The latter has been run by Cork man Willie Delaney and his Kilkenny wife Babs for 15 years, and their fund-raising trad session for Jimmy will take place next Thursday, May 28.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are supporting it, which is good,\u201dsays Babs, \u201cwe are doing what we can to help. We have a hamper and are raffling tickets for \u20ac5.\u201d<\/p>\n
Husband Willie, originally from Blackpool, is himself a musician and said he has known Jimmy for 40 years, since first seeing him perform in Jim Edwards’ pub in Kinsale at his Sunday afternoon sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cJimmy has stayed here at the bar a few times,\u201d said Willie, \u201cand he has jammed with us in the sessions. He is such an unassuming guy and we wanted to help him out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told a story of how Jimmy went to visit an Alicante attraction called Lo Pag\u00e1n mud baths near the bar one day, when a Cork woman spotted him and told her friend: \u201cHoly Jaysus, it\u2019s Jimmy Crowley!\u201d<\/p>\n
Musician Richie O\u2019Rourke plays regularly at The Randy Leprechaun\u2019s weekly trad sessions, and is from Cobh, where Jimmy will soon be heading to convalesce.<\/p>\n
Richie, a long-time friend of Jimmy, said: \u201cWhen I saw the appeal on Facebook, I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to have to do something\u2019, he wants to go back home to my home town.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe will make a great effort for Jimmy in our fund-raiser in the pub next week.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Richie says Jimmy\u2019s contribution to music and culture in Cork is \u201cimmeasurable\u201d\u201d, adding: \u201cMention Cork and music to anybody and they will say \u2018Jimmy Crowley\u2019. Nobody encapsulates the spirit of Cork like him. He\u2019s a very important figure and everybody loves him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richie, who has lived in Spain for 15 years, has kept in touch with Jimmy. He recalls a few years ago having a pint with his friend in The Roaring Donkey – \u201cthe cultural centre of Cobh,\u201d says Richie – and Jimmy said he had bought a house that day in the town.<\/p>\n
![\"Richie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5088147_11_articleinlinemobile_Crowley_20_26_20Me.jpg\" "\\"Richie")
Richie O\u2019Rourke playing with Jimmy in The Randy Leprechaun pub during one of his visits – the pub is staging a fund-raiser for him next week<\/p>\n
\u201cIt turned out to be the house where my uncle once lived,\u201d says Richie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen The Randy Leprechaun expanded a few years ago, Willie told me he wanted a big launch night for it, so we asked Jimmy over. He came, and liked it so much, he came back again.<\/p>\n
\u201cJimmy and I have stayed in touch. I would often get a call and answer it, and it would be \u2018Alright, Richie, boy, how\u2019s it going?!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Douglas in 1950, Jimmy Crowley, has written, performed, and collected folk songs all his life.<\/p>\n
His early band Stokers Lodge have gone down in Cork folklore, recording the iconic The Boys Of Fairhill in 1975. A prolific and inspired songwriter, Jimmy\u2019s early recordings popularised local songs such as Johnny Jump Up, Salonika, and The Armoured Car.\n <\/p>\n
He has continued writing, touring, and performing throughout his career, and was in the middle of recording an album of songs with his partner, folk singer Eve, called Ambrosia, when he became ill.<\/p>\n
In later life, Jimmy also staged a ballad opera and earned a degree from UCC in folklore and Irish, taken as a mature student. He released his 15th album, Life, last year.<\/p>\n