Electric Picnic to host suicide prevention event

Restauranteur Derry Clarke says he wants to ‘save other families from grief’

Electric Picnic fans have been invited to participate in a five-star meal at this year's festival in a fundraising event in aid of suicide prevention.

The normal festival fare will be replaced by a gourmet meal served up by some of the country’s best-known chefs.

One of those who is providing the meal is Derry Clarke of L’Ecrivain who lost his 16-year-old son Andrew to suicide in late 2012.

Others involved are Kevin Hui of China Sichuan, Warren Massey of L'Gueuleton and Michelin star chef Ross Lewis of Chapter One. Fine Dining Picnic will be headed up by chef Lorcan Cribbin.

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The Electric Picnic takes place between Friday, August 29th and Sunday, August 31st at Stradbally, Co Laois.

There will be five sittings over the weekend, the first on Friday at 5.30pm and two on Saturday and Sunday at 1.30pm and 5.30pm with each sitting lasting approximately two hours. Tickets for the event cost €120 and includes a half bottle of wine.

All the money raised will go towards Console. Speaking at the launch this morning, Clarke said he wanted to do what he could to "save other families in Ireland the grief and the heartache."

He said the Electric Picnic venture is the first time in Europe that such a fundraising effort has been done at a music festival.

Clarke is one of a team of Irish people who will be cycling from Paris to Nice to raise funds for Console. They have already raised €70,000 for the charity.

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times