Tipperary Ukrainian in Coulter’s ‘Steal Away’ choir

A national Ukrainian Choir, brought together by local development companies across Ireland, has released a new version of Phil Coulter’s single, ‘Steal Away’, in collaboration with the singer.

The choir is made up of 40 people including singer Ruslan Veliev from Killenaule, who fled Ukraine as a result of the war.

The single, translated into Ukrainian, was launched at a special event in Saint Stephen’s Church, Dublin, last week where the choir performed the new single with Phil Coulter.

The song, originally written by Phil Coulter 40 years ago, tells the story of a couple who escape from the Troubles and there are many parallels with the current situation facing Ukrainians today.

The song will be available for download via Spotify, and the road to the launch forms the subject of a documentary due to be released in coming months.

Commenting on his involvement in the initiative, Phil Coulter said: “When I wrote Steal Away in 1983, the song was in response to the conflict that was happening in Northern Ireland at the time.

I couldn’t have imagined that 40 years later it would have a connection to the situation facing Ukrainians today.

“I have travelled all over the world with my music and have seen how it can cross borders and create friendships as a universal language. It has been an honour to work on the recording of this single. I hope that the initiative has provided a source of unity and has given the choir some semblance of hope for a brighter future.”

Speaking about the launch of Steal Away, Isabel Cambie, CEO of South Tipperary Development Company said:

“We are thrilled to be a part of this important project.

There is nothing more rewarding than assisting others in achieving their aspirations.”

The single will be available on Spotify from Thursday, August 31.