Primary-school children stood beneath the Christmas tree in Dublin's Killarney Street singing Candle in The Wind. Above them sparkled 104 stars, 17 more than last year and a reminder of the young lives extinguished by drugs in this part of the inner city.
In this part of Dublin, children as young as 11 are used as couriers by drug-dealers. "The pushers work on the innocence of young kids, which is disgraceful and despicable," said Mr Larry Whelan, of the Inner City Organisations Network.
A former addict, Ms Sharon Stanley, who turned on the tree lights with Dublin's Lord Mayor, Mr Jim Stafford, last night, said it was a symbol of hope. She is recovering with the help of a SAOL project. "The help you need is now in the community," she said.