West of Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Week Festivities Support Children’s Charity

by Metaverse Press | March 5, 2010 | No comments

West of Ireland, Second Life– The Second Life charity estate West of Ireland (WOI) will feature fashion and creations as the 2010 Festival of Saint Patrick bursts into SL March 5.  A Touch of Ireland Fashion Show will feature the creative work of AliciaKay Kilara, while a Charity Auction will showcase the work of a diverse variety of SL designers and creators.  Proceeds from both events will benefit the real world charity Project Children. 

A Touch of Ireland designer AliciaKay Kilara is a real life painter from the United States who has also created worlds and content for other 3D communities including Cybertown, Jewels of Indra and Oddessey among others.  She met her SL partner Meekal Kilara through painting before coming to the Second Life™ grid.  The two stumbled around the grid for a few months and then decided to throw a Saint Patrick’s Day party. So many enthusiastic residents attended that they crashed the Sim the party was held in.  This caused them to more closely consider the possibilities of Second Life™, which resulted in their joining the West of Ireland community at the time of the estate’s creation, which recently celebrated its third anniversary in SL, raising funds for Project Children. 

A self avowed “Southern Belle with an Irish Heart,” AliciaKay’s love of vivid color and beautiful fabrics are reflected in the sense of motion, and visual fun in her designs. “I open up Photoshop and start pondering my thoughts of the day.  The next thing you know I wake up and I’ve made something.  It’s never planned.”  Ms. Kilara gains inspiration from the world and events around her, and from spending time with Meekal listening to stories of his life in Ireland, his experiences, his passion for his country and his culture, “He is the Irish blood behind A Touch of Ireland” Ms. Kilara states, “Each item I make is a cluster of thoughts and emotions.  When I see them, I see ‘that’s the day I was worried over how I was going to get my car fixed, or not being late for work, or solving world hunger.’” 

The fashion show will be held in The Glen on the main WOI Sim and will begin at Noon on Saturday, March 6 with a preview of the designs.  At 1pm the show itself will begin, presented by the JM MODELS Agency owned by Jewell Monroe, also co-owner of OPULENT Magazine and STEP AHEAD feet and shoes. The show will feature nearly a dozen new creations as well as some old favorites.  All sales from the fashion show, and all sales that day from both of the A Touch of Ireland locations (West of Ireland, and Cork) will benefit Project Children.In addition to the fashion show, the Festival Charity Auction will begin at noon on Friday, March 5 in the Celtic Crossing Shopping area adjacent to the fashion show site.  The Auction will showcase everything from one-of-a-kind designer gowns, to signature jewelry by SL creators such as Nonna Hedges, Kunglers Design, Nicky Ree, and Eolande’s Jeweled Details. Also available for auction will be signed hardbound copies of novels by authors Arlene Radasky (The Fox) and Rhonda Carpenter (The Mark of the Druid) which will be shipped directly to the winning bidder.  Bidding will close Monday evening, March 8 at 7pm, and is open to anyone.  All auction proceeds will benefit Project Children. 

Useful SLURLS:

Glens na hEirean “The Glen”  … 

 http://slurl.com/secondlife/West%20of%20Ireland/93/122/23 

Celtic Crossing Shops are located in Second Life™ here (click to teleport). 

Check for the weekly performance schedules and event information online here.

Project Children is an international organization that takes children from Northern Ireland on summer trips to stay with host families in the United States. Catholic and Protestant children are brought together in a calm and multi-cultural environment in an effort to overcome the stronghold of prejudices that have burdened Northern Ireland for so long. The South Texas Celtic Music Association (STCMA) raises funds for Project Children at its annual Celtic Music Festival and through the Second Life West of Ireland charity estate to pay the transportation costs for children participating in Project Children.  
 
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Sources: 

Press Release February 27, 2010 Sioban McMahon, West of Ireland CEO Sioban.McMahon@gmail.com

http://www.projectchildren.org