This page is dedicated to my son, Rory Craig, gifted performer, songwriter, composer and arranger who, on the 8th of December 2024, was tragically involved in a fatal collision while returning home from a gig in Killarney.

On Sunday June 15th at 7 pm, a special performance, dedicated to Rory, will take place in The Curtis Auditorium in MTU Cork School of Music, Union Quay, Cork. It will feature Rory’s compositions, songs and arrangements. Tickets for the event - Rory Craig: A Life of Music - will be available on Eventbrite from April 25th.

Rory’s single, Seen It All Before, will be available on all streaming platforms from 7.00pm on April 25th. You can pre-save it here:

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/rorycraig/seen-it-all-before

All funds from the concert and single will go to Breakthrough Cancer Research.

My primary reason for choosing Breakthrough Cancer is that it targets research into cancers with poor prognosis that are currently incurable. My family has been impacted by two of those cancers. Rory’s dad, Rob Craig, passed away in July 2021 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. My mother died in 1976, aged 51, having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer 18 months earlier. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024 and am one of those survivors who has benefitted from the wealth of research that continues to be undertaken in this area.

Breakthrough Cancer is strongly patient-focused and connects doctors, patients and researchers to develop solutions. Most importantly, an international advisory group sets priorities to achieve maximum impact for the patient.

I see research as the creative branch of medicine. Researchers are, by nature, curious, innovative and think ‘outside the box’. Rory was all those things, and I know he would appreciate my reasons for choosing Breakthrough Cancer to benefit from the various events and activities that I am undertaking on his behalf.

Rory's Story

Rory completed two years of Maths Science in UCC before changing direction when the lure of music became too strong to resist. He gained advanced entry to the third year of the BA in Popular Music in MTU Cork School of Music. He graduated in 2022 with first class honours and decided to pursue a Masters in Commercial Composition. He completed the first semester while playing keyboard with the House Band on a cruise ship in The Caribbean. He returned to Cork in 2023 and completed his Masters in September 2024 with First Class Honours. In addition, as the highest placed student across all strands of the taught MA in MTU CSM, he was awarded a bursary for further study.

Rory played keyboard with a number of bands in Cork. These include The Offbeats, The Stars, Last Call and Fable. He was much in demand as a keyboard player, having gained a wealth of experience working with professional musicians for Carnival Cruise Line.

In September 2024, he started teaching LC Music in Bruce College and Keyboard Studies in Cork College of Further Education, Tramore Road Campus.

Rory had three life-long passions, his love of music, his love of reading and his die-hard dedication to Liverpool FC. He was also a talented actor, singer and wordsmith. Above all, he was very kind and gentle, with a rapier-sharp wit, and was most unassuming about his immense talent. There was a sincerity and honesty in everything he did.

In Memory of Rory Craig

Created by Ursula O'Sullivan

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