More than 200 Irish artists and household names, including Bono, The Corrs, Imelda May and Aidan Gillen, are donating signed items and original artwork to a charity auction for Dublin Simon Community. It arrives just days before a tribute album to Shane MacGowan, featuring a poignant new recording from the late Glen Hansard, lands with half its proceeds going to the same cause.
The fourth annual auction, called A Community of Hope, runs online through Gormleys from November 28 until December 9, according to Radio Nova. Hot Press reports that it will feature original works by artists including Paul Hughes, Gerard Byrne, Jane Belton, Jess Kelly, Solus and Guggi. Memorabilia from Camille O’Sullivan, Éanna Hardwicke and Liam Ó Maonlaí will also go under the virtual hammer.
A selection of pieces will be on show at FLUX Studios on Chatham Row in Dublin 2 from November 28 until December 2, giving bidders a chance to see the work in person before the online bidding closes.
The collection was assembled by Dublin artist and curator John O’Donnell, who founded the initiative. Speaking in a statement reported by Hot Press, O’Donnell said the situation for people without a home has worsened since he began, and that it is now “more important than ever that we do what we can to help people emerge from it.”
Aidan Gillen.
Gerard Byrne, one of the participating painters, said he was especially pleased to back the charity as a Dubliner. As quoted by Radio Nova, Byrne said that if a painting of his can help someone experiencing homelessness, he “can’t think of a better reason to give it away.”
The urgency behind the appeal is hard to ignore. Radio Nova cites the latest figures from the Department of Housing showing 17,885 people living in homeless accommodation across Ireland, including 12,429 in Dublin. Money raised will go directly toward Dublin Simon Community services, including outreach, emergency accommodation, treatment and recovery, and housing and tenancy support.
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New Glen Hansard music
Glen Hansard.
The auction is not the only music-led fundraiser arriving this winter. Radio Nova reported the release of Glen Hansard’s version of The Pogues classic Bottle of Smoke, which appears on the upcoming album 20th Century Paddy, a tribute to Shane MacGowan. The record, due on November 13, also includes contributions from U2, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, and Madra Salach, and 50 percent of the proceeds will go to Dublin Simon Community.
Hansard’s recording dates back to October 2024 and was made at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, with The Pogues accordion player James Fearnley guesting. It is being released with the consent of Hansard’s family. The much-loved Oscar winner died in a motorcycle crash in Dublin on July 29, aged 56, a loss that was widely reported across Irish and international media, including by The Irish Times and the Associated Press.
For many in Ireland, the track carries extra weight. For years, Hansard led the Christmas Eve charity busk on Grafton Street in aid of Dublin Simon Community, an event that has become a fixture of the Dublin festive calendar and has regularly drawn guests such as Bono and Imelda May.
Shane MacGowan.
Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, paid tribute in a statement originally carried by RTÉ and repeated by Radio Nova. She described Hansard’s recording as “especially poignant” because it unites the legacies of two artists who cared deeply about people experiencing homelessness. She noted that MacGowan was a long-time supporter of the charity, while Hansard was the driving force behind the Christmas Eve busk.
MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, also praised the recording in an Instagram post quoted by Radio Nova. She thanked Hansard for being a friend to both her and her late husband and said he brought the soul and passion MacGowan was famous for to the song.
Eamon Sharkey, Director of Fundraising and Communications at Dublin Simon Community, told Radio Nova the organization has been overwhelmed by the response from Ireland’s creative community, and that the funds raised will help change lives this Christmas.
Together, the auction and the album show how deeply Ireland’s artists feel their responsibility to the city that shaped them. More information on the auction is available at Dublin Simon Community.
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