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Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'Thank you for showing up for Palestine': Coffee campaign raises €100k for Gaza
The organisers of the Coffee for Palestine campaign met last week to celebrate reaching their fundraising target of €100,000 for the people of Gaza. Organisers said they are 'so grateful and deeply moved' by the support they received and the donations made to the campaign, which has now raised €100,000 for charities and communities on the ground in Gaza. 'From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every person, café, restaurant, and supporter who gave what they could, stood with us, and helped turn this act of solidarity into something meaningful,' organisers posted on Instagram. 'We know there are still some cafés yet to donate, so the fundraiser will stay open a little longer. But this moment, reaching our goal, is something we want to pause and honour. 'This doesn't stop here. We'll continue to keep Palestine in our hearts, in our conversations, and in our actions, wherever and however we can. Thank you for showing up for Palestine. Let's keep it going!' Participating businesses pledged the value of 10 coffees a day for seven days to the Coffee For Palestine campaign from June 23 to June 29, and the donation link remained open for those who wished to help the campaign reach its target. The campaign reached many counties across Ireland, with more than 270 cafés, 51 of which were Cork-based, as well as international cafés in the Netherlands, Germany, Bosnia, Scotland, and South Africa, taking part this year. The brainchild of Clare Condon of Good Day Deli, Eman Alkarajeh of Izz Café, and Deirdre Breen of Studio Boon, the Coffee for Palestine campaign began in June 2024 when organisers were so distraught about what was happening in Gaza, that they felt they had to do something as opposed to helplessly watching what was unfolding through their phone screens. Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Clare Condon of Good Day Deli said a lot of thought, work, planning and strategy went into their first campaign, with an aim to keep the campaign as simple and as sharable as possible so that it was easy for others to get involved and raise as much funds as possible. More than 150 cafés and restaurants were involved in 2024 and more than €50,000 was raised for charities and communities on the ground in Gaza. That success was surpassed this year, with more than 270 establishments taking part and €100,000 raised. The Coffee for Palestine team met at Izz Café this week to mark the significant milestone which they described as 'a small moment of hope and solidarity in the midst of ongoing devastation'. 'During our visit, we were deeply moved to receive a beautiful letter from the team at Café Izz,' organisers said, sharing the letter to social media. The letter from Izz Café read: 'To the incredible team behind Coffee for Palestine - Eman, Clare, and Deirdre, There are no words strong enough to truly express the depth of our gratitude and admiration for what you have done. Once again, you have turned your compassion into action, your love into impact - building bridges of solidarity between Ireland and Palestine. 'This year, over 270 cafés across the country joined your call. More than 900 generous donors stepped forward, hand in hand with you, to stand with Gaza in its darkest hour. Together, you created a national movement — rooted in justice, brewed with empathy, and poured with unwavering love. 'Your commitment is not only inspiring, it is profoundly moving. You have shown that solidarity knows no borders, and that kindness - when rooted in purpose — can move mountains. 'On behalf of the entire Izz Café family, and from the hearts of every Palestinian you stand beside, thank you. Thank you for being a voice, a light, and a lifeline. 'You have brought hope to Gaza. You have brought healing to hearts. And you have reminded us all what it truly means to be human. 'With love, pride, and endless appreciation, The Izz Café Team.' Condon said 100% of the proceeds from the campaign will go directly to five organisations providing urgent support on the ground in Gaza. Those organisations include: Gaza go Bragh, a grassroots Irish initiative fundraising directly for emergency aid, water and food in Gaza; Unicef Gaza Gaza Crisis Response, delivering life-saving supplies and protection for children in Gaza; Medicine Sans Frontiers, offering vital surgical care, medical aid, and mental health services in Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals; Palestinian Red Crescent Society, emergency medical responders, providing ambulances, trauma care, and humanitarian relief; and Communities on the Ground, a community-led giving initiative, selected by Eman from Izz Café.
Irish Examiner
02-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'A heartfelt thank you': Organisers of Coffee for Palestine campaign thank customers for support
The people behind the Coffee for Palestine campaign have thanked all those who supported the initiative that aims to raise money for children and communities in Gaza. Participating businesses pledged the value of 10 coffees a day for seven days to the Coffee For Palestine campaign from June 23 to June 29. The campaign reached many counties across Ireland, with more than 270 cafés, 51 of which were Cork-based, as well as Monks Coffee Roasters in Amsterdam and Humble Coffee in South Africa, participating this year. But what made the campaign's impact even more special was a message received by participating café, the Palestinian-owned Izz Café, directly from Gaza. Izz Café shared photos of one of their friends in Gaza standing amidst the ruins of their home, holding up the Coffee for Palestine campaign poster. The team at Izz Café said the photos left them speechless and were brought to tears "because it showed that love and solidarity reached them'. Speaking to the Irish Examiner about the campaign, Clare Condon of Good Day Deli said: 'Coffee For Palestine all began in June 2024 when it got to the point where we were so appalled and distraught about what was happening in Gaza, that we felt we had to do something as opposed to watching it on our screens helplessly. 'It was pretty clear that a lot of people in our industry wanted to do something also, but there was a lot of uncertainty around how to help or which organisation to donate to. 'I approached Eman from Izz Café and Deirdre from Studio Boon with the idea to ask cafés to pledge 10 coffees per day for 7 days to our campaign. The idea was simple and had the potential to raise a lot of funds with a multiplier effect of others joining. Eman and Deirdre were immediately on board and we started planning our campaign for September. 'Eman guided us on the political and cultural sensitivities and chose the charities for the campaign, as she has the best knowledge on what is happening on the ground. Clare Condon of Good Day Deli and co-founder of the Coffee for Palestine campaign. 'Deirdre designed the logo and the visual identity of the campaign. The Coffee For Palestine logo utilises the tatreez coffee bean motif, known as 'Habbet Binn' ةبح نب. This symbol holds cultural significance in Palestinian embroidery, particularly in the Jaffa and Gaza regions. Serving as a delightful and intricate representation of a coffee bean, a fundamental element in Palestinian hospitality and social gatherings, this motif symbolizes warmth and welcome. The colour palette is inspired by the food and flora of Palestine.' Condon said a lot of thought, work, planning and strategy went into their first campaign, with an aim to keep the campaign as simple and as sharable as possible so that it was easy for others to get involved and raise as much funds as possible. More than 150 cafés and restaurants were involved in 2024 and more than €50,000 was raised for charities and communities on the ground in Gaza. Condon said that the goal for this year's campaign was to engage even more cafés and restaurants to raise more funds – a goal which was met, with more than 270 establishments taking part this year. 'We had a new volunteer Campaign Manager, Emer, and Creative Producer, Shahd this year who were instrumental in widening the reach across Ireland,' Condon said. She spoke of the importance of the campaign to show people in Gaza support and compassion by raising awareness and letting them know that we are thinking of them everyday and said 100% of proceeds from the campaign will go directly to five organisations providing urgent support on the ground in Gaza. Those organisations include: Gaza go Bragh, a grassroots Irish initiative fundraising directly for emergency aid, water and food in Gaza; Unicef Gaza Gaza Crisis Response, delivering life-saving supplies and protection for children in Gaza; Medicine Sans Frontiers, offering vital surgical care, medical aid, and mental health services in Gaza's overwhelmed hospitals; Palestinian Red Crescent Society, emergency medical responders, providing ambulances, trauma care, and humanitarian relief; and Communities on the Ground, a community-led giving initiative selected by Eman from Izz Café. 'It's also important to support the cafés and restaurants that have committed to donating to the campaign. Small independent cafés and restaurants are so important in our communities and often have social impact goals as well as running businesses,' Condon said. Speaking following this year's campaign, Eman Alkarajeh said: 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who shared a cup of coffee with us, you shared much more than a drink; you shared hope. 'A very special thank you to my dear friends Deirdre from Studio Boon and Clare from Good Day Deli, who stood beside me with their warm hearts and strong voices. This campaign would not have been the same without you. You made it feel like I wasn't alone, you made it feel like Palestine was right here with us. 'And to our talented friend who designed and printed our beautiful logo, thank you for giving our message a face. Your work brought light, even when the skies over Gaza were dark. From Gaza from under the rubble, from Cork with all our love, Thank you. We will never stop talking about Palestine.'
The Journal
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant transforms this derelict Victorian Cork house
THE CORK CITY home of artist Cora Murphy is designed to work hard. Here she speaks to Ruth O'Connor about the challenges and joys of bringing a derelict city centre property back to life. Artist Cora Murphy photographed with her work A Turn for Grace in the Good Day Deli in Cork city. The Cork city home of artist Cora Murphy may look familiar to readers as it featured on the latest season of The Great House Revival on RTE television. The Victorian building was vacant for many years before being spotted by Cora who was looking for a home that could also work hard as a studio for her as a self-employed artist. Having rented for many years, Cora says that the favourite aspect of her home is that it is finally a place she can call her own. 'My absolute favourite thing is that it's my forever home – and nobody can ever ask me to move on,' she says. 'I've rented some wonderful homes from great landlords during my 17 years in Cork but the prospect of turning 50 without accommodation security terrified me. I would have happily rented forever if renters weren't so vulnerable in Ireland.' The upstairs living room in Cora Murphy's Cork city home which appeared in this year's Great House Revival on RTE1. The house, once a family home with a small shop in the front room, has now become a beautiful multi-functional home for Cora and her dog Ms. Dougie – a space filled with colour and handmade touches – from the artwork to the lampshades and custom fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchen. Cora credits her neighbours, architect Hugh Wallace, and the contractors (including lead contractor Damp Rite Ltd. in Killarney, Co. Kerry) for their incredible support in getting the project over the line despite delays due to the sourcing of finance and the sad passing of her mother during the filming process. 'It's exactly the kind of house I wanted. It's an incredible location. Douglas Street really is a village in the city. I love pretty much everything about the house, the garden and my neighbourhood,' she says. 'The Nano Nagle Centre and Good Day Deli are at the top of the street while Cork Flower Studio is at the other end. It has a real community feel – my neighbours were incredible to me even when there was a lot of material and machinery coming in and out – they couldn't have been more generous.' Despite having a small footprint Cora was determined to create a luxurious bathroom for herself - a key component of which is a custom terrazzo sink and shower tray with Connemara Marble by Synk Concrete. Neil Smyth. Neil Smyth. Like many of us Cora looked to Instagram, Pinterest and magazines for inspiration but really, as an artist, she is pretty sure of her own taste and style. 'I don't appreciate a lot of contemporary stuff or colours like grey. I wanted there to be a certain feeling throughout the house – that was the main thing I was aiming for,' she says. 'I was happy for the ground floor to feel contemporary but I was very conscious that I wanted the sense of the history and age of the house to be retained upstairs. The challenge was marrying the two.' The solution to the problem was a focus on materials. 'The answer was staring me right in the face and in the end it was the landscape which inspired me. About two weeks after my mam died I went to visit the brilliant Marie and Pat at Synk Concrete in Tipperary and they showed me the beautiful Connemara Marble sink that they had made,' she says. 'I realised that the thread that would tie the house together would be the idea of the elemental – materials that are somehow tied back to the landscape whether that is wood, paper, wool, marble, linen… – that really helped me to form a cohesive idea in my mind.' As a self-employed artist Cora needed a space to display her work. Curtains by Cork Curtain Fabrics soften the space and work in contrast to the exposed brick. Neil Smyth. Neil Smyth. Creating a space in which she could both live and work from home was vital to Cora after years of spending on rent, storage spaces and studio spaces. The downstairs of the property is characterised by exposed bricks, linen curtain dividers and a concrete floor. 'I wanted there to be a delineation between work and home but I also wanted consistency throughout. I ended up using a lot of pink and yellow tones – it's a bit like a Neapolitan ice cream – and the ground floor uses a powder pink colour with similar tones used throughout the house.' Advertisement Bringing in copper to the kitchen scheme is also something Cora did to emphasise the soft colours: 'You wouldn't want to be too concerned about discolouration living with the copper sheets in the kitchen but I love them and love the fact that it changes all the time. That said, The Pink Stuff is fantastic for bringing it back to a shiny, pink copper state.' Lampshades by Laura Vaughan Textile Design, rugs from and artwork by fellow artists including Edith O'Regan, Tom Climent, Kathryn Cook, Siobhan Moore, Siobhan Grace, Deirdre Frost and Brenda O'Lochlainn add interest throughout the house. Neil Smyth. Neil Smyth. The biggest challenge for Cora throughout the project was financing it. 'The biggest challenge without a doubt was money,' she says. 'I was lucky enough to get the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant with the Derelict Top-Up Grant bringing it to €70,000 but you have to put the money upfront for that and then claim it back after you've completed and paid for the work. That is a massive challenge for people. Cash flow was a major problem.' From Source - an artwork by Cora Murphy. Being a complete newbie to the world of home restoration was also a challenge but one that she says she was happy to embrace. 'Although I had done a lot of due diligence around finance I was completely clueless about the nuts and bolts of a renovation. I was as sure as I could be about numbers but then you have extra costs for steel, or a new roof or asbestos…' 'I knew nothing about renovating or building so I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable – I had to be willing to put my hand up early and often and to admit that I didn't know or understand things,' she says. 'It's important to manage the budget but also to manage your own mind – you're processing things that are happening right now but there are also many other things to think about – luckily Damp Rite was absolutely amazing to deal with. I had delays of over a year getting started and they stuck with me.' One of Cora's most treasured possessions is her mother's couch beautifully reupholstered and restored as part of Finline Furniture's sustainability program. The fireplace and insert was sourced locally with help from a friend whose father was a fireplace restorer. Having had reservations about appearing on television, Cora says that it was a 'universally positive experience'. 'The production team on the show were absolutely lovely and Hugh Wallace went over and above for me. Hugh came in several times, off camera of his own accord to help – memorably once taking the train down on a winter's evening. He arrived at dusk, it was bitterly cold, there was no floor or electricity and the builders had just removed the stairs so we had to go up a ladder with a torch,' she says. 'He really was beyond kind. As were all the tradespeople and craftspeople who worked on with me through the lean times. Everyone really stood by me – they were amazing.' Having finally settled in after the project taking a number of years, self-employed artist Cora Murphy says that she is finally getting used to having her own place and being comfortable in a home she owns. 'I love it more and more every day and can't believe that I have managed to get here.' Cora's home features paint from the Dulux Heritage range throughout. Her kitchen suppliers included Olde Pine Stores, Miko Metals and Andec Steel. Catch up with the episode of The Great House Revival that features Cora's home on RTE Player. The downstairs window of Cora's home in Cork city provides a display of her art. Neil Smyth. Neil Smyth.
