The darkening evening came down slowly outside. Summer is dying. It was the apposite time to launch an appeal for the Simon Community, the organisation which looks after the homeless. Guests gathered in City Hall in Dublin to meet the fund-raisers and donors.
Christy Moore sang, writer Marian Keyes told us a story about a man who used to live in her doorway, and Ray Watson, executive chairman of Dublin Simon, said there are 5,000 homeless people in Ireland today.
"How long can you hear someone crying . . . before you ask yourself why," sang Moore.
"Almost everyone on the street has always had an unstable life," said Keyes, who is donating the Irish royalties from her new book, Under the Duvet, which is out next month, to Simon.
"If our lives suddenly unravelled and went pear-shaped, it's unlikely we'd end up in a doorway, we have a safety net." she said, mentioning family, expectations and good fortune too. The launch of the third annual Simon House Appeal in aid of Ireland's homeless hopes to raise £250,000 this year. Instead of corporate Christmas cards, companies donate money to Simon and send greetings to their clients in one big ad in The Irish Times.
Brian Maguire, who has an exhibition in the Kerlin Gallery later this year, donated a painting from his Sπo Paulo series to Simon. Miriam O'Callaghan, of RT╔'s Prime Time, gave of her time also to welcome us all to the event.