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A HOST OF famous figures from Irish music hit the streets of Dublin last night for the traditional busking session near Grafton Street.
Raising money for homeless charities, the stars performing included Glen Hansard, Imelda May, Damien Rice, Bono and the Edge outside the Gaiety Theatre.
The U2 frontman told the assembled crowds: “As the buckets go around, fill them with silver, fill them with hope – the season of hope.”
An empty guitar case in front of the rockers was filled up with proceeds going towards the Simon Community.
Glen Hansard had a pointed song aimed at the government, with the topic of the lyrics centering on the ongoing housing crisis.
The annual sing-song on Grafton Street usually attracts big crowds, such as in 2016 when gardaí were forced to shut down the event due to the volume of people.
Fair play to them. Screw the begrudgers. It’s a nice act for a great cause.
@Shane Dunne: yeah great stuff .Glen is thre salt if the earth. There is another conversation to be had. But not today.
@Picture This: great shout
@Shane Dunne: ha Bono asking people to dig deep in their pockets is he for real.
@Picture This: glens homeless support ?
@Alex Reed: personal account?
@Scorpionvenomm: Get help will you. It’s beyond boring at this stage.
@Alex Reed: Bonos donation written off by his personal accountant ?
@Alex Reed: Bonos donation noted for tax credits by his personal accountant ?
Be better if Bono payed his taxes in lreland
@Fran O’Keeffe: you couldn’t leave it alone could you.not even for today.
@Fran O’Keeffe: hope he continues not to pay taxes in Ireland to keep annoying people like you over something so trivial.. He does a lot for Ireland and charity.. Fair enough he can be a bit OTT for some, but I’ll never understand the hatred Irish people have towards him
@Seriously stunned: a point that should be brought up everyday .
Flatley and O Leary hats off to you boys
@Fran O’Keeffe: the amount of spite, envy, and begrudgery in this country is shocking.
@Fran O’Keeffe: except he personally does pay tax in Ireland, u2 as a group pay there taxes in the Netherlands as in limited company
@Chin Feeyin: Funny it’s only directed at the same few people though.
@Acedeuce: Trivial?? Can you not see the hypocrisy?? Nothing personal against Bono as there are hundreds others that do it but all our public services are funded mostly through taxation. I pay my fair share, you probably do as well? Yet he a multi multi millionaire if not billionaire contributes little or nothing. However he’s asking people to fill a bucket with silver? Just because you may like his music doesn’t change that fact. He could easily pay his full tax obligation in Ireland and he’d still be filthy rich but chooses not to….A homeless and health crisis going on! But it’s ok though because he tells other people to help through song Christmas Eve? Smoke and mirrors is all it is.
@colm connolly: They are not Dutch.
@Shane Cusack: Shane, unless you see his tax return, you have no idea what tax he pays. Just because something is on Facebook does not make it true.
U2’s publishing company moved some of its income to Netherlands. That is all that is known. Nobody knows how much tax the individuals pay in Ireland because that’s confidential.
@Squiddley Diddley: apple aren’t Irish and you want 13bn or whatever off them!
You begrudgers want it both ways!
U2 are registered in Holland. Paul hewson is an Irish resident and all his personal income is taxed in Ireland. People need to cop on.if you want u2 to pay their taxes only to Ireland then you have to also want Apple , Facebook, Google, Intel, Microsoft, all pay their taxes to their original country of origin otherwise you’re just a hypocrite. Happy christmas begrudgers. Hope you get some joy in 2019.
@Aidan Mitchell: If you are saying U2 are just a greedy corporation that don’t care about the community they are based in then your argument makes perfect sense. Read Frontman by Harry Browne, might educate you about the real Bono.
@Shane Cusack: You are wrong. Bono pays all his personal taxes in Ireland. Moneys made by U2 however are payed in Holland as they are a limited company. He does more for charity with fundraising etc than most.
@Chin Feeyin: woah woah woah chin don’t let sensibility get in the way of begrudgery. It’s non irish
@Shane Cusack: do you pay your full tax obligation or do you avoid paying tax through any relevant schemes that are available to you ?
@Aidan Mitchell: amen aiden
@Seriously stunned: Pay your taxes Bono and stop preaching to everyone else.
@Seriously stunned: not when he asks people to give he should put his money where his mouth is
@Stephen Cumbers: I pay my full tax obligation. If every Artist/Business person registered a limited company in the Netherlands or anywhere abroad wouldn’t things be great in Ireland. It’s fine though. I’ll just join a band, once a year do the odd busking and people will just ignore it. Simples!
@Shane Cusack: so you don’t use any if your personal tax credits that revenue allow you ? You don’t claim relief on your health expenses ? You don’t claim PAYE credits as an employee ?
You should really avail of these things just like U2 ( not Bono) as a company avail of any tax avoidance schemes that are available to them. Nothing wrong with avoiding tax. Its evasion that is illegal.
@colm connolly: very little compared to the potential corporate tax they should pay in Ireland
@GM: noting wrong with it , no way anybody here would not do the same to minimise there tax bill , bono pays more tax in one year in Ireland than you or I will in our lifetimes
@Squiddley Diddley: where did I say u2 were a greedy corporation?? I read the blurb of your book there, but no thanks. I don’t need over hyped negativity in my life thank you very much.
U2 is a business. All bands are businesses. They tour and sell records to make money.
The members of this business are Irish residents. They earn and invest as individuals and pay (a lot) of tax to Irish state on earnings.
I note your ignored my comments on apple etc.
@Aidan Mitchell: Didn’t ignore those comments about Apple etc at all. Just commented on the equivalence you are implying. I’m sure the Dutch social services are glad of the income from U2. The country that actually looks after their friends and relatives and educated them and their kids will do without but that’s cool, cos they are just another corporation.
@Aidan Mitchell: Fair dues for checking out the book though. Have a Happy New Year.
Waterford Whispers on the ball with their orange status Bono/Hansard warnings !
All well and good for the famous to come out and ask Joe Public to ‘dig deep’
A bit like talking out of both sides of their mouths considering the wealth they hoard.
I’m all for people giving what the feel they can give but please we are all entitled to our own opinion but have a look In the mirror before asking citizens of this country who keep these home grown charities going.
@RobbieL: what good is paying a couple of Euro a month in taxes if you have the carbon footprint of a space rocket??
@Alan Watts: I’m sure Bono and the other band members plus other wealthy individuals who pontificate about the carbon footprint are useing an alternative power source to power their live shows, manufacturing cd’s in a carbon neutral environment and flying around the world on hand gliders. But I think not!!
Like most people who are not camera shy they like to put the blame for global issues on Joe Public who do what they can through recycling which is another tax, through useing less water which will raise its head again soon no doubt, through useing less electricity and gas etc again to be hit with a levy for not useing enough.
So bring on the carbon tax. Maybe Bono and the others will be asking us next year to dig deep for that also.
Bono pays his personal tax in Ireland. Publishing income for U2 goes tru Netherlands. So what? I claim back 20% on my med exps. Should I be excoriated for this? I also invested in a nursing home and got tax relief…should I hang my head in shame? Happy Christmas ye miserable shower
@Insider at RTE: Ah you can’t beat mick o’leary for paying his taxes.
Virtue signalling
I suppose it’s no different than the once a year mass goers.
I’d rather eat a homeless person than listen to these luvies lecture me with their hypocritical lyrics. # Bonopayyourtaxes
Surprised there was enough room for Boneheads Ego
Merry Christmas bono.f legend
To hell with the begrudgers ,well done to everyone ,always the same few crying over trivial issues .
Pretentious tw@ts
#wheresleo
@Adrian: leo is obsessed with social media, so lets give him a hashtag.
It’s nice that Bono is busking but cheapo still owes me money for my tickets in that Berlin gig. Never refunded the postage and service fee element.
Bonos ego could not keep him out of the limelight despite the fact that he praises Fine Gowl at every chance he gets. Bonos educated solution to social ills is to praise the parasites who create the problems.
Be even better if they gave money as a donation for the homeless!!!
Ugh,,the vile creature turned up
I don’t think Live Aid would happen today with the amount of people giving out about the rich asking for donations for the poor! That’s what that was all about!
I turned up two years ago, and blew the house away with my rendition of “baby it’s cold outside”
Maybe it U2 paid their fair share of taxes here, there might be better services for the homeless.
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