SATURDAY MARKED WORLD Down Syndrome Day, and in Ireland, Derry-based songwriter Colm Warren helped mark the occasion with the release of a new single and music video.

Warren’s song, ‘Without You’, was written to celebrate his sister Emma’s relationship with her young son Ódhrán, who has Down Syndrome.  

“I believe he [Ódhrán] was sent here for very special reasons,” Warren said.

Emma and her family live in Cork, and Warren’s new song and music video were produced with the help of the Down Syndrome Cork community, with the video shot in the charity’s facility in Carrigaline. 

Tetsuhiko Endo from video agency Rubberduck directed the video, while the agency produced it. Its main actors were cast from auditions held among acting and musical groups that specifically work with people with Down Syndrome.

Endo said Warren had written the song about his nephew, and the many ways in which he had “enriched his [Warren's] life and the lives of those around him”, so it was decided the video would have people with Down Syndrome “unquestionably the protagonists”.

“We cast an incredible group of young creatives to play our band,” he continued. 

Sean McMahon, Emma O’Connor, David Wall, and drummer Mike Clifford were cast in the video.

They were able to rehearse with the group with the help of the organisation, and “on the day, they were some of the most prepared and committed actors I’ve ever shot with”, Endo said. “Each of them proved to be a subtle and gifted performer in his or her own way.”

Warren said seeing the performances of the cast was “inspiring” and shows the possibilities for the future for Ódhrán and others with the right support.

The song and its video have been heralded for its efforts to bring inclusion and positivity. 

“Watching this brought me so much joy,” one person commented. “I think often of those who faced isolation and misunderstanding in the past, and that makes projects like this even more powerful. Beautiful performance and a wonderful song!”