WATCH: Derry's Gweedore reunion with D:ream's Peter Cunnah celebrate raising £5610 pounds for DEEDS

Together at the Gweedore reunion the bands and friends from the late 80s and 90s raised the funds at an event honouring former owner of The Gweedore, Willie Barrett, who gave bands at the time a space to play their music.

George McGowan from Old Library Trust speaking about the event said: “We are delighted to come down today to accept the cheque on behalf of the Old Library Trust DEEDS project, which supports people living with dementia in their family across the Derry City & Strabane District Council area. This money will go a long way to help us.”

George explained that he got a phone call from Jim Norris telling him they were putting on a charity event and that they wanted the money to go to the DEEDS project.

“By all accounts it was a great night. It was packed to the rafters, a lot of great stories and celebrations and the music went down a treat.”

Jim used to work in the Gweedore back in late 80s early 90s. He explained that “over the years we’ve had a couple of reunions, the last one was in 2017.”

He talked about how the idea of the reunion came about after Willie Barrett’s wife died. At the funeral the idea came together.

“Everyone is getting on a wee bit so we thought we would have a reunion.“

About the event Jim said: “It's been amazing, everyone getting back together everyone commented it was great to see everybody again as they haven't seen each other in years.

“It's great we raised £5,610 pounds and that's going towards DEEDS. It's good to raise money for them.”

A big name at the reunion was Derry’s own Peter Cunnah, frontman of D:Ream and before that a member of Tie The Boy, he explained that his father died in September 2023. At his father’s wake his old band mates and him got to chatting and reminiscing about the old days. “By the time we were on our third or fourth Guinness we said, ‘right we're gonna get the band back together, like the Blues Brothers’,” said Peter.

What got him invested in the reunion was his old friend Willie Barrett, a charity gig for Willie with the money going towards the DEEDS project. “We got the gig and there was a deadline placed April 1.

“Our first rehearsal, I wouldn't sign us, we were rubbish, took three or four different goes before we started to get back into form again.

“I took some time out. I went to Thailand in February. I spent my time there working on my biography and working on my guitar licks. I felt pretty confident when I got back.”

“The band came together in the last few rehearsals,” said Peter.

Willie Barrett came into the conversation, and Peter said to him: “It was your name that persuaded me to get involved in this, if it wasn't for people like you letting people like us play in your bar...”

Willie replied, “It was sh*t* music at the time.” (Willie and Peter both laugh)

“Don't you know it's every teenagers job to pi** off their parents,” Peter said.