Copyright © 2020 Albuquerque Journal
It’s a beautiful day.
Larry Mullen Jr., the drummer for the Irish rock band U2, has donated $100,000 to the Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund, the group announced this week.
The grassroots organization’s GoFundMe account has raised more than $4.3 million. Volunteers have delivered food, water and supplies to 6,400 households in tribal communities during the pandemic.
“We feel real kinship with the Irish, who have a shared legacy of colonization, and we are truly grateful for Mr. Mullen’s donation and all donations that have come from our Irish brethren,” group founder Ethel Branch said in a news release. “‘Go raibh maith agat and ahéhee’! Someday we hope to repay you for these beautiful and meaningful acts of solidarity made during our time of great need.”
More than 25,000 Irish citizens have donated. Many posting on the GoFundMe page and on the group’s social media say the donations are efforts to repay the Native American community for their help during Ireland’s time of need.
In the 1840s, the Choctaw Nation raised about $170, more than $5,000 in today’s dollars, for Ireland during the Potato Famine, according to The Irish Times.
The group says the drummer’s donation will fund two weeks of food for 1,000 Navajo and Hopi households. Deliveries are meant to help vulnerable Navajo and Hopi residents who need supplies to stay at home during the pandemic.
