Bono, Glen Hansard and Lisa O'Neill are among the acts taking part in a special online busking session in aid of the Simon Community which will be streamed on Christmas Eve.

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For more than 10 years stars busked on Grafton Street on Christmas Eve to raise money for the charity, but the event was curtailed last year and again this year by Covid.

However, the acts gathered in St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin this week to record a busking session which will be streamed at 9pm on 24 December.

The event is free to watch. Donations can be made to the Simon Community and will help fill the €1.5 million fundraising gap caused by Covid.

Head of Fundraising at Dublin Simon Community, Emma Kilkenny said it is a "Christmas miracle" that the fundraising busk can go ahead in some way.

"In a lot of ways, this year has been an even more challenging year for fundraising than last. The public has been stretched so much over the past two years by the physical, financial and emotional toll of the pandemic, and the same is true for our clients, residents and services," she said.

"Many of our clients are experiencing serious mental and physical health issues and we are also seeing a new cohort of older people coming to us for help. As we faced closing out 2021 with a €1.5 million shortfall, Mark, Damian and Glen came through with a Christmas miracle."

"On behalf of the men, women and children who rely on our services, we would like to say thank you all the artists, crew and creatives who have made this event possible and the public who have donated so far," she added.

All funds raised through the Simon Christmas Eve Busk will go towards the 24,000 people who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness that The Simon Community supports each year.