Bono joins annual Dublin city centre Christmas Eve busking session

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

Bono, Imelda May and Oscar winner Glen Hansard have taken part in a Christmas Eve charity busking session in Dublin city centre.

Hansard opened the annual event on Wednesday night, telling the large crowd that more than 30 artists were waiting to perform.

Among them were the band The Riptide Movement and singer-songwriter Shobsy.

Danny O’Donoghue from The Script and Danny O’Reilly from The Coronas also made an appearance together.

U2 frontman Bono was one of the last to take to the stage, performing a rendition of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) with singer May.

The event came to an end with a rousing performance of the Pogues classic Fairytale Of New York, during which May wished the late Shane MacGowan a “happy birthday for tomorrow”.

The traditional gig marks its 15th anniversary this year and raises funds for the Dublin Simon Community, a charity which provides services to people in seven counties who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The event started in 2010 as an impromptu sing-song on Grafton Street, one of the capital’s main shopping thoroughfares.

It has now become a more official and organised event outside The Gaiety Theatre nearby.

Hundreds of people sang along to a mix of Christmas tunes and Irish hits, with viewers tuning into the livestream from Berlin, London and New York.

In the crowd were Dubliners returning from abroad.

Jason Hanaway, who lives between New York and Poland, said the event was “brilliant”, adding “only in Dublin”.

Maria Campani, from Italy, has made the city her home and says she comes every year, adding: “It’s a great event that brings everyone together.”