{"id":581145,"date":"2026-08-03T03:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/581145\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T03:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T03:04:21","slug":"world-class-djs-deliver-huge-night-of-hope-in-letterkenny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/581145\/","title":{"rendered":"World-class DJs deliver huge night of hope in Letterkenny"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blake\u2019s Bar in Letterkenny swapped its usual soundtrack for big beats on Saturday night as top DJs Reb\u016bke and Patrick Topping took over the courtyard for a major cancer fundraiser.<\/p>\n

The rare dance event was organised by Letterkenny native Mike Toner in support of the Irish Cancer Society<\/a> after his sister Louise was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, which spread to her bones and spine.<\/p>\n

As the first tunes began to thump through the bar, Mike described the night as a \u201cbeacon of hope\u201d for families affected by cancer.<\/p>\n

The fundraiser has already surpassed \u20ac26,000 in online donations before the night was over, with even more expected from in-person collections at the gig.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Patrick Topping and Reb\u016bke behind the decks at the packed Blake\u2019s Bar fundraiser in Letterkenny.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of support we’ve had has just blown our minds,\u201d said Mike, a Melbourne-based music touring agent and founder of Thick as Thieves.<\/p>\n

Mike represents British artist Patrick Topping and Letterkenny-born DJ and producer Reb\u016bke, also known as Reuben Keeney, on their Australian touring and has raised millions through charity initiatives there<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mike and Reuben had spoken for years about organising something special at home.<\/p>\n

So when Mike’s 50th birthday came around this week, it became the perfect opportunity for a pop-up party.<\/p>\n

The gig attracted massive demand as soon as word got out, with around 3,000 people seeking one of just 250 available places.<\/p>\n

Donegal DJ Mode\u0101 and Belfast producer 666CMG opened the night, before Reb\u016bke and Patrick Topping took to the decks, filling the intimate space with a back-to-back set including their new collaborative track, \u2018People Dancing\u2019.<\/p>\n

The polished production featured cameras, photographers and drones capturing the unforgettable occasion from every angle. Among those enjoying the night was Dublin rapper Casper Walsh.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Patrick Topping and Letterkenny-born Reb\u016bke during the one-off cancer fundraiser at Blake\u2019s Bar.<\/p>\n

At the centre of it all was Louise, a married 45-year-old mother-of-three, who spoke openly about the impact cancer research has had on her life.<\/p>\n

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Louise was diagnosed nine months ago and at that time, she needed two crutches, a back brace and a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

Targeted treatment and physiotherapy through palliative care have changed her life dramatically.<\/p>\n

She now takes one tablet a day and has returned to the gym, yoga and many of the activities she enjoyed before her illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cStage four is actually a stage of treatment,\u201d is Louise’s message to others.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have treatment options. It\u2019s not terminal.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear stage four and you just think it\u2019s endgame, whereas in actual fact, there\u2019s a lot of treatment options. And that is literally down to the cancer research over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Louise, a highly regarded professional in Donegal\u2019s childcare and education sectors, said receiving a cancer diagnosis could feel as though \u201ca bomb goes off\u201d in a person\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

However, medical research funded through charities such as the Irish Cancer Society gives families hope.<\/p>\n

Louise said she hopes to continue \u201cliving in active treatment\u201d, with further options available to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf something changes, we move to plan B, plan C, plan D,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

“It’s not what it was back in the day.”<\/p>\n

Mike and Louise\u2019s family has seen first-hand how far cancer treatment has come. Their father was diagnosed with lung cancer 34 years ago and died just five months later.<\/p>\n

“Cancer\u2019s not the end game,” said Louise.<\/p>\n

“There’s so much that has been done.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really, really need to keep the cancer research message going, keep that fundraising going and everyone keep digging deep.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

International dance stars Patrick Topping and Reb\u016bke pictured at the special pop-up gig in Blake\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Mike and Louise thanked everyone who donated, attended the event or sent messages of support, as well as Blake\u2019s Bar for the memorable night.<\/p>\n

The online fundraising page remains open for anyone who would still like to contribute here: https:\/\/fundraise.cancer.ie\/fundraisers\/httpswwwinstagramcommiketoner<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch here:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Blake\u2019s Bar in Letterkenny swapped its usual soundtrack for big beats on Saturday night as top DJs Reb\u016bke…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581146,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[93,61,60],"class_list":["post-581145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581145\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}