The final Late Late Show before Christmas will be placing a special focus on preventing homelessness this Christmas.
This Friday night, the Dublin Simon Christmas Eve Busk which normally takes place on Grafton Street will be recreated on The Late Late Show Busk for Simon.
Some of Ireland’s top artists will be performing to raise money for Ireland’s homeless.
The North West Simon helps individuals and families avoid homelessness, solve housing issues and access emergency accommodation in Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim.
Ten years ago, Glen Hansard first took to Grafton Street with an ensemble of well-known musician friends to raise money for Dublin Simon and it’s a tradition that Glen has kept going since. This year, the traditional Christmas Eve busk cannot take place in Dublin city centre but The Late Late Show will be bringing the magic of that Grafton Street evening directly into viewer’s homes in aid of the Simon Community.
U2’s Bono and The Edge will perform on the night, pledging their support for Glen and the Simon Community, as will a cast of Ireland’s top musical talent including Imelda May, Hozier, John Sheahan, Finbar Furey, Shane MacGowan, Danny O’Reilly, Roisin O, Declan O’Rourke, Lisa O’Neill, and Kodaline’s Steve Garrigan.
“This will be, we hope, hands down, the best gig of the year…maybe even the decade,” Ryan Tubridy said ahead of Friday.
“In return, our friends are asking viewers to dig deep to donate to the Simon Community and to help our brothers and our sisters who are currently homeless to get off the streets, to be safe, to be warm, to be treated with dignity and decency and ultimately to get the type of secure housing that everyone deserves.”