Catrina Scullion is a classically trained soprano with an impressive career spanning performances with Anúna, Eontas Choir, and Celtic Women. But in our conversation, we’re diving into something much deeper than music—Catrina shared her personal mission to raise vital funds for the Motor Neuron Disease Association, a cause close to her heart.
Jannie: I’d like to introduce Catrina Scullion. Hello, Catrina, how are you?
Catrina: I’m great, Jannie. Thank you so much for speaking with me. I’m delighted to be talking to you today.
Jannie: Oh, it’s lovely to have you; it really is. Now, Catrina, you are a classically trained soprano, and you’ve sung with Anúna, toured with Eontas Choir, and performed with Celtic Women. You’ve also stayed active in 2020 during the pandemic. Actually, you created lots of concerts online and kept music going throughout that time. Now, of course, you are on a mission of your own, and I don’t know whether you want to expand on that; you’re going to raise much-needed funds for the Motor Neuron Disease Association. Do you want to tell us about that?
Catrina: Yes, so first of all, I’m so delighted to be able to speak to you about this because we’ve talked about it, and this is a very, very personal crusade on my part. My cousin, she is just a couple of months older than me, my first cousin. She was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease in 2021, just a couple of months, or a month, in fact, after having her third child. Since then, she has deteriorated quite badly. It’s such a cruel disease, and this is, I guess, a way of me finding some kind of answer in all of this, trying to do something because it’s hit me quite hard, as I was pregnant at the same time that she had just given birth and then found out her diagnosis. I was pregnant with my youngest at the time, and like I said, just a couple of months apart between us. So it’s quite, quite poignant to me, and this is my way of trying to raise some money. So what I hope to do and hopefully put out there into the universe is I really want to raise money for the charity using my voice because that is what I know how to do. I’ve often been struck by the words of the song You’ll Never Walk Alone, and it’s so poignant now considering my cousin Sinead can no longer walk unassisted. She’s in a wheelchair now. So I think being able to release that as a single to make money for the charity would just be such a wonderful thing to do in her name. So that’s my goal, absolutely. And it’d be great if, you know, musicians and maybe studios can come forward to help you with this. It would be lovely to release this single. I know you were talking about Christmas and you wanted to release it and maybe put some chimes and bells and stuff in it and really give it that lovely Christmassy feel. I mean, that would be so lovely to do for the charity.
Catrina: Well, I think the whole idea of Christmas is about giving, about hope, and unfortunately, as we know, this disease is terminal. So for me, that would be the legacy that it raises money for the charity, which, you know, when I have my cousin’s blessing to discuss this and to go about this. I, in fact, got her blessing for this for the first time two years ago, in fact, two and a half years ago, when she was first diagnosed. I actually reached out to the broadcaster, the Irish broadcaster Charlie Bird, because I felt so helpless. I reached out to him about the idea, and unfortunately, we couldn’t make it work, but we did have a discussion about it, and he thought it was a wonderful idea. And of course, there’s the rugby player, Rob Burrow, who also passed away. It’s an utterly indiscriminate disease. It’s awful, isn’t it?
Jannie: It really is an awful disease. The disease means that, you know, the messages from the motor neurons gradually stop reaching the muscles, and this leads to muscle weakening, stiffening, and wasting, which can affect how you walk and talk. And of course, it’s awful to see a loved one going through such rapid deterioration. Our plea is to anyone that can come forward and help with this charity that Catrina is launching; it would be most appreciated. It just affects everybody, and this young woman has got young children, three young children, who need that support. And of course, the Irish Motor Neuron Disease Association really does help people, doesn’t it? They’re a wonderful charity.
Catrina: Yes, Tony Coote’s father, Tony Coote, was a wonderful man, and he did so much for the charity. He unfortunately passed away a couple of years ago from the disease. The amount of money that they raise for research to help people who are struggling with the disease is just incredible. And that strikes me most of all, this idea of walk while you can, or to walk through the storm. Because, I mean, not to be morbid, but we take for granted that we plan our next week, we plan our next year, and what we do in the future. But my cousin, unfortunately, has been planning her children’s future by putting away gifts for their future birthdays and recording little messages for their future birthdays. So I think something like this, as a legacy in her name, would be a wonderful, wonderful thing to do. My own daughter is named after her. My granny passed away around the same time when I was pregnant. So she’s Hannah, after my granny, and Sinead, after my cousin. That’s a living legacy. But to be able to do this would be a wonderful, wonderful thing to do in her name.
Jannie: Let’s hope people can get behind you and help with this incredible fundraising. At the end of the day, if they can give just a little to this charity, then this charity will, in itself, help others with the disease and give them a little bit of comfort and support, and support for the families too, because the charity does support the families of people who suffer from this disease.
Catrina: They absolutely do, and they help with research too, which is the important thing because, as you know, sicknesses, illnesses, diseases, they all require further research in the hope that, down the line, someone else might not have to suffer the way my cousin is. Well, let’s hope we can get lots and lots of support for this, and with a release at Christmas, that would be absolutely lovely, wouldn’t it? That’s the hope—a little bit of hope for Christmas and really raise some good money for the charity.
Jannie: That would be brilliant. So please, everyone, watch all our socials, on Catrina’s socials and also on my socials. We’re going to be putting lots of stuff out about the charity. So I’m really pleased to be able to help in some way, and I’m sure people will get behind you, Catrina. It’s such a worthwhile charity.
Catrina: Thank you so much. Thank you. Yeah, the world is an open place since COVID. We saw that with the concerts we were able to do online. I did a concert just a few weeks ago, and we had people tuning in from America, Finland, you know, and it’s just wonderful. It’s opened up the world.
Jannie: This world community is a wonderful thing when it works. So hopefully we can draw on that as a community, which would be wonderful. Would you like to tell the listeners a little bit about you and about your career?
Catrina: Oh my goodness. Well, as you said, I’m classically trained. So I started off with opera, I suppose would have been the direction that I was going. But I did sing with Anúna, the wonderful Celtic music group, and I toured America in the Anúna Choir with Celtic Women. And yeah, incredible experience, a wonderful way to see the States. For the last few years, I’ve been working with my best friend and duo partner, Catriona Grimes. She’s the most exquisite pianist. And we do quite a lot of recital work. Our hope for 2025 is that we will do a little bit of visiting other countries. So putting it out there too—hopefully a concert in the UK and maybe one in America as well. So watch this space for that.
Jannie: Sounds wonderful. Making music, that’s what we do.
Catrina: Yeah. Brilliant. Well, thank you, Catrina, for telling us about your career. And of course, I wish you all the luck in the world with the fundraising, and hopefully, you know, this little podcast will just kickstart everything off and get people interested in what you’re doing. Thank you so much.