A homeless Irish man will be reunited with his family for the first time in 12 years this Christmas after his photo went viral on Facebook.
"I find it all hard to believe," George Cunningham, from Ballybrack in Dublin, told the Irish Independent.
"I kind of lost contact with my family and then, after my photo was put on the Internet, I suddenly started getting offers of meals and stuff."
Photographer Lee Furlong was out for a walk in Kinsale, Co Cork, last Sunday when he spotted Cunningham sitting by the harbor.
"We just started chatting and I was really touched when George said that all he wanted for Christmas was a hot meal and a warm bed for the night," said Lee.
Furlong took a photo of Cunningham and posted it on the Facebook page of his website Humans of Ireland.
In response to the post, strangers offered to pay for a hotel for Cunningham, while others invited him to their home. Then, Ballybrack locals saw the photo and brought it to his family’s attention.
According to the NY Daily News, George’s sister Sheelagh called Furlong and said Cunningham was more than welcome to come home and have dinner with the family.
Furlong was able to locate Cunningham again with the help of local shop owners.
Cunninham, who plans to leave for Dublin next week, said he was “absolutely overwhelmed” over the reaction from his photo.
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