Out on the “wily, windy moors” of Fairview Park, Dublin, more than 250 “Cathys” from across Ireland gathered on Saturday.There were there for the for the annual Wuthering Heights Day fundraiser in support of Women’s Aid. “Trying to find your wife is like ‘Where’s Wally?’,” one bemused husband said as the red-clad Cathys rehearsed the choreography, inspired by Kate Bush’s dance moves in the video for her 1978 single Wuthering Heights, before a group performance in the park. Organiser Joey Kavanagh, an avid Kate Bush fan himself, said: “This is the 10th year of us doing it in Dublin, but actually the event dates back to 2013. “It was done by a group called Shambush in the UK. They did a flash mob at the Brighton Fringe Festival.“I happened upon one of the events in London that was happening, and thought it’d be a nice thing to bring back to Ireland.” The first Irish Wuthering Heights Day took place in Dublin in 2017 and more people have joined in as the years have passed. Dancers dress up like Kate Bush’s portrayal of the ghostly character Cathy from Emily Bronte’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights.In Dublin on Saturday, 250 people performed the dramatic Wuthering Heights choreography in sunshine and 22-degree heat.“We had a really big crowd the first year we did it after Covid because I think people were delighted to be able to come back together,” Kavanagh said, saying he thought Saturday’s crowd might have come close in terms of numbers. Sarah Benson, chief executive of Women’s Aid, said: “I just love it because it’s just one of the most joyful events to be a part of.” The event raised more than €3,500 for the charity. “There’s such brilliant diversity. Cathys of all shapes and sizes and genders,” Benson said. “It’s for a serious cause, but the whole message is everyone deserves a bit of joy, and you know everyone deserves a healthy relationship, no matter who they are.”Among those attending, the dress code was interpreted vibrantly, if not loosely – some Cathys chose to don Cork jerseys and Captain Morgan hats. Leading the way in accuracy with reference to Bush’s music video was Roseanna Tighe from Cabra, Dublin, whose mother made her dress. “She tried to make it as similar to the dress Kate Bush had on,” Tighe said, pointing out the attention to detail in the zigzag pattern at the hem. Tighe attended the first Wuthering Heights Day in Ireland 10 years ago and has come back to the event most years since. She was accompanied by friend Linda O’Sullivan from Clonakility, Co Cork, who drove three-and-a-half hours to make it to the event. “We love a dance,” the pair said. “We’re not saying we’re capable of doing it, but we love to dance.”Elsewhere, three generations of Heneghan women were also in attendance, enjoying ice-creams in the shade between rehearsing the dance. Enda Heneghan and her daughters Ciara and Orla all said it was a “real feminist type of event”. Her granddaughters Síomha and Laoise were also there to join in.“It’s nice to be out in these numbers, and know that so many people are thinking of the women who have to go to Women’s Aid,” Ciara Ní hÉanacháin said. “It’s really nice that it’s on during the day too, and that it’s not an alcohol-centred event as well.” Her sister Orla said: “It’s lovely to see all the men here. We were here two years ago and there weren’t as many here.” Among the 40 or so men participating were Gavin and his friends Michael, Nick, Niall and Patrick, who said they had attended for the first time last year, but came back because they had so much fun. “We thought it would be quite fun just to go, you know, lose our inhibitions, throw on a dress and join the games for a great cause as well,” Gavin said. “We decided to come again this year, and accessorise even better this time.” He also spoke of the sense of community and camaraderie they had felt last year. Perhaps the best exemplars of this sense of community were the unlikely trio of Devin Rocks, Mary Bailey and Gail Lynch, who had not arrived together but spent the day in each other’s company. “I met these two today because I came on my own,” Rocks said. “I had some friends cancel on me, and they very kindly said come over and join us”. The trio had been discussing Kate Bush, who wrote the song Wuthering Heights when she was aged just 18.“Her voice is incredible. She was just doing her own thing musically,” Bailey said.“She wasn’t afraid to just be herself. It was all kind of like punk and different things, and she was just there doing her own spin on things.”