Mundy not just singing about a Galway Girl, he's helping one too

Offaly musician Mundy is crossing his fingers he will be one of hundreds who score an Irish Christmas number one this year. The Birr artist joined over 300 others including Paddy Casey, Mary Black, Declan O'Rourke and members of AIMS musical societies from all over Ireland to record Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" for four year old Galway girl Lily-Mae Morrison. Lily-Mae is suffering from Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a rare and extremely aggressive childhood cancer of the nervous system. "Neuroblastoma doesn't like noise and we want to create as much noise as possible for Lily-Mae by getting Tiny Dancer to the Christmas number one spot," organisers of the mammoth charity effort said. Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week Mundy said Lily-Mae's mum Jude is an old friend. In the past he has given Jude, a dancer and actor, songs and music to use in dances and dramas staged as part of the Galway Arts Festival. Mundy describes Jude and her husband Leighton as really talented dancers and actors, and said getting involved with the charity project for their daughter was a no-brainer. "She contacted me months back with the horrific news of her daughter's serious illness and asked me could I lend a hand," Mundy described. "It was easy for me to want to be involved regardless of the fact that I have two children of my own." "Tiny Dancer" by "A Song for Lily-Mae" has already garnered some 40,000 views on YouTube, while the single is available for purchase from iTunes from Friday, November 23. It has support not only from the musicians involved with it, but also Elton John himself who has promoted it via Twitter. "With this charity it is as much about shining light on this rare disease as it is about helping Lily-Mae," Mundy said. Organisers of the charity effort agree. "We really need your help and support to make this a success," they said. "We need you to be Lily-Mae's champion, to help us make all this noise, to make Neuroblastoma a cancer that people don't have to Google, to make it so that people know that they need to target their giving to support research into a disease that is incredibly effective at killing those with the most life to lose - our children."