‘Take Me Home for Christmas’, sings Ballymore man in Austria
By Sarah Slevin
Ballymore man Aaron Whooley has released a Christmas song for charity to bring joy to those who cannot travel home this year.
Aaron’s song ‘Take Me Home for Christmas’ was inspired by the fact that many people, including him, cannot return home for the festive season due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Aaron has been living in Austria for almost two years, having moved there after falling in love.
“I moved from Portugal because I met my wife when she was there for holidays. Because of the situation with Covid-19, we decided to move to her home country and get married,” Aaron said.
“Since being here, I have been following my passion and love for music as well as learning a new language.”
Aaron has not been able to return to Westmeath for Christmas this year, and it inspired him to round up his friends to work on ‘Take Me Home for Christmas’.
“I wanted to do something special. In cooperation with friends, we wrote and recorded this song in a week,” Aaron told the Westmeath Examiner.
“A lot of people cannot celebrate with their families because of different circumstances, and I wanted to give those people joy, hope and a little bit of happiness,” Aaron said.
Aaron co-wrote and recorded the song in a week, and he performed it at the ‘Andy Marek Christmas Show’ to raise money for families in need in Austria.
Aaron started music at a young age and graduated at the BFCE Dublin in Music Technology – from there he moved to Portugal to follow an opportunity.
“In 2010 I got an offer and went to Portugal, where I played a lot of gigs. I stayed there for 10 years and followed my passion and learned a lot about live performances,” Aaron said.
Aaron has an extensive repertoire – he plays the drums, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, and sings.
The Ballymore man has plans to visit family in March, Covid-19 permitting, and has exciting plans for 2022.
“I have an album in progress, and I am looking forward to releasing music. On January 11 I will be on Austria national television (ORF2 /Good Morning Austria), which will be my television interview debut,” Aaron said.
Aaron said, no matter what the future brings, he will “always be enjoying music – no matter if it is busking on the streets of Vienna, or over the internet.”
He added: “To bring my passion to people is what means the most to me.”
Aaron regularly hosts live streams online of his performances on Facebook, and his song ‘Take Me Home for Christmas’ is available on available on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon music and other platforms, as well as on YouTube with an original video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjmz3iotD14
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aaronfromireland
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/aaron_fromireland/