An Irish schoolgirl is using her superb singing voice to raise money for a trip to Malawi where she will help teach the local children.
Holly McCoubrey, 17, is a student at Belfast Royal Academy and needs to raise £1,600 to pay for the school’s annual visit to Malawi.
She has released the CD Songs for Malawi, which features six songs including one written by Irish songwriter Eugene Dunphy.
Holly has taken on similar enterprises in the past, and she has managed to raise thousands of pounds for worthy causes.
She recorded her first CD when she was just 13, and raised more than £3,000 in sales, which she gave to the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice.
The following year Holly released another CD and gave the proceeds to the intensive care unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.
The bright youngster has developed a strong following on social media over the past few years, and has been encouraged by some to enter television talent contests such as X Factor or The Voice.
However, Holly has decided that is not the route she would like to take. She told the Belfast Telegraph: “Loads of people ask me about that but I feel that I want to get there myself with my own voice as I wouldn’t want anyone to change how I sing, or change my look.”
Holly has not decided exactly which career path she want to take, but understands that it is great to raise her profile within the music industry to keep her options open. She said: “Doing the CDs is a great way of getting my voice out there while helping others at the same time. I’ve been singing since I was no age and was a lot more confident when I was younger. If anybody asked me to sing, I would have got up and done it.
“While singing and my music is really what I’m trying to get out there, I would also really love to be a primary school teacher as I love working with young children.”
If you would like to buy Holly’s CD, Songs for Malawi then visit her Facebook page and send her a message.
