Longford woman raising funds to chase DJ dream after personal struggles and loss

Valerie Maguire, from County Longford, is chasing her dream of becoming a DJ after a tough year that included double hip replacement surgery and the loss of her beloved mother.

She has been accepted onto the prestigious PhDJ course — an 8-month programme with US DJ Tasha Blank — including a Las Vegas Immersion where she will train with world-class DJs. Normally €10,000, she was awarded a rare work-study place, bringing her costs down to €3,800.

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"And not only do I want to DJ, I also want to teach young people this craft—because it’s not just fun, it’s also amazing for our mental health, something I’m deeply passionate about - and right now, our young people need every bit of support they can get," says Valerie via her gofundme page.

Valerie, who has worked in the community and voluntary sector supporting people through mental health challenges, domestic violence, and disability, now wants to bring people together through dancefloors that are safe, joyful, and healing. She also hopes to teach young people DJing as a tool for mental wellbeing.

She already presents For the Love of Dance Music on Athlone Community Radio and has recorded more than 30 episodes — but needs formal training to move from playlists to live DJ sets in clubs and festivals.

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"Normally, I’d cover these costs myself but after a year out of work recovering from surgery and grieving my Mammy, I simply can't do this right now. I’m now ready to return to work and rebuild, but this amount feels like a huge mountain to climb and I would never be able to collect it in time."

So far, €970 has been raised of a €3,800 target through 11 donations. Donations can be given through this link: Help My Dream of Becoming a DJ Come True