Irish music stars sing for homeless charities
Howard Lake | 25 November 2018 | News
Some of the top names in Irish music have come together to release a Christmas single in aid of homeless people.
Proceeds from the cover of the 1966 hit, Simon & Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound, will be donated to three charities:
- the Peter McVerry Trust
- Simon Community Ireland
- Focus Ireland.
U2’s Bono sings on the single, together with Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, Conor O’Brien of Villagers, Cathy Davey, Saint Sister and David Geraghty of Bell X1, with arrangements by Colm Mac Con Iomaire, formerly of The Frames, and backing vocals by the High Hopes Choir, whose members are former homeless people.
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The accompanying album, Street Lights, will be released next month. It will include tracks from The Frames (Angel at My Table), David Gray (Falling Down the Mountainside), Lisa O’Neill (No Train to Cavan) and Saint Sister (a cover of The Cranberries’ Dreams).
Bono delivered his line remotely from his home in Dalkey, according to the Irish Times, several hours before he took to the stage for the third of U2’s four homecoming gigs. Shortly after the single’s release it went to number two on iTunes.
Aoife Woodlock, who co-ordinated the project, confirmed that a copy of Homeward Bound was being sent to Paul Simon so that the was aware of the charity fundraising initiative.
“We want him to hear what these Irish musicians have done, why they’ve done it and what it’s for,” she said.
Homeward Bound is published on all digital platforms. Street Lights is released on Friday 7 December and people can donate €4 to the project by text.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.