Dublin’s canals Paint it Pink for one day only with pink locks and open-air floating screening of pink movie favourite

Waterways Ireland, Happenings and Balloonman.ie are behind an event on Saturday, 1st of November which will turn Dublin’s canal pink for one day only. Hundreds of pink balloons will adorn the locks along the canal filling it with colour and turning the city pink. The event is being held in memory of members of the Plurabelle Paddlers who have died from breast cancer and to mark the finale of the Irish Cancer Society’s Paint it Pink campaign which ran throughout the month of October. An open-air floating cinema screening of ‘Pretty in Pink’ will also be showcased on Saturday evening in Grand Canal Dock with eighties heart throb ‘Pretty in Pink’ star Andrew McCarthy giving a special message on screen in support of the event.

With seven locks on the Grand Canal from the Liffey to Portabello Bridge in Inchicore and the available locks on Royal Canal from the Liffey to Phibsborough adorned with pink decoration, as well as Grand Canal Dock, Dublin City will truly be ‘painting it pink’ for the day. As part of the celebration, the Plurabelle Paddlers will launch one of their dragon boats for a “Pink” sunset training session on the Grand Canal Dock ahead of the screening. The team race dragon boats in order to build up their upper body strength after treatment for breast cancer.

A remembrance walk will also take place before the screening from Portobello Bridge to Grand Canal Dock, allowing participants to enjoy a pink journey down the canal to the main event. Members of the public are invited to take part in the walk and to attend the open air screening on Saturday evening. Those wishing to attend are advised to wrap up warm and bring a hot drink, chairs, cushions and soft furnishings.

The Irish Cancer Society’s ‘Paint it Pink’ campaign ran throughout the month of October and called on the public to come together to fight breast cancer by doing something to paint it pink, sharing pictures of the activity on social media (using the hashtag #PINKPICS) and texting the word Pink to 50300 to donate €4 to the Society. The Irish Cancer Society is asking anyone passing along the canal or attending the screening on Saturday to take a picture using the hashtag #PINKPICS and post the photographs on social media.

Mark Mellett, Head of Fundraising at the Irish Cancer Society said: “It is fantastic to have such tremendous support for our ‘Paint it Pink’ campaign. Waterways Ireland and Happenings are really getting behind the campaign which supports our free breast cancer services and collaborative cancer research centre BREAST-PREDICT. It promises to be a fantastic event and we hope the public will come along and take part in this enjoyable day out.”

Peter O’Brien of Happenings said: “Happenings run creative events with social impact in public space. It is therefore a great honour to have been given the opportunity to create this meaningful action for Waterways Ireland and the Plurabelle Paddlers as part of Irish Cancer Society’s ‘Paint it Pink’ campaign. It will be stunningly beautiful and we are delighted to have got Andrew McCarthy involved.”

Dawn Livingstone of Waterways Ireland said: “From our initial discussions with the Plurabelle Paddlers over four years ago about using the Grand Canal Dock to help their members recovery, we have been fully engaged in supporting their activity and have watched the positive outcomes of their growth and progress. Waterways Ireland is delighted to work with the Plurabelle Paddlers, the Irish Cancer Society and Happenings to mark this occasion and invite as many people as possible to walk and film on the day and support the Paint it Pink campaign.”

Marian O’Dea, Chairperson of the Plurabelle Paddlers said: “We are very touched by Waterway’s Ireland hosting this event in celebration of our team members who have died in the past year. Since 2010 when we set up Ireland’s first breast cancer dragon boat team on the Grand Canal Dock, they have given us amazing support. We look forward to training in a ‘pinked’ dock on Saturday and hope people will come down to support us and learn about what we do.”
Star of 80’s cult classic ‘Pretty in Pink’, Andrew ‘Blane’ McCarthy said: “I am delighted to be able to support a great cause for Happenings with Waterways Ireland who are remembering the women of The Plurabelle Paddlers who died this year and in support of the Paint it Pink campaign for the Irish Cancer Society. I think a floating cinema on Dublin’s most famous canal sounds like the perfect way to enjoy ‘Pretty in Pink’. I hope everyone has a great evening and texts PINK to 50300 to done €4 to the Irish Cancer Society to support all those affected by breast cancer.”

Waterways Ireland and Happenings Paint Dublin Pink on Saturday 1st of November 2014. For more information on the event, visit Happenings Facebook and for further information on the Irish Cancer Society’s Paint it Pink campaign, visit www.paintitpink.ie. For information on breast cancer dragon boat racing and the Plurabelle Paddlers, visit www.plurabellepaddlers.com.

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