Navajo and Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief, a volunteer indigenous-led group providing support for families affected by the Covid-19 crisis on reservations in the US, have praised U2 drummer Larry Mullen for his recent donation of $100,000 to their fund.

In recent weeks, the Relief Fund's GoFundMe campaign spiked with contributions from Ireland – as Irish people made an effort to reciprocate support from Indigenous Nations that dates back to 1847, when the Choctaw Nation raised $170 dollars (over $5,000 now) for starving Irish families during the Great Famine.

Yesterday, May 27, Larry Mullen's donation to the fund brought the total contribution from over 25,500 Irish donors to more than $870,000.

“We feel real kinship with the Irish, who have a shared legacy of colonisation, and we are truly grateful for Mr. Mullen’s donation and all donations that have come from our Irish brethren," says Relief Fund founder Ethel Branch. "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.”

According to a statement from the Navajo and Hopi solidarity group, Mullen's donation of $100,000 will "fund a week's worth of deliveries of food and water to about 1000 Navajo and Hopi households with high risk, vulnerable, or COVID-positive family members."

The Navajo Nation has now exceeded New York and New Jersey as the US jurisdiction with the most Covid-19 cases per capita.

For more about the Navajo and Hopi Families Covid-19 Relief Fund, see their website here.