13.12.2018
Black Santa 2018 Off to a Great Start at St Ann’s in Dublin
Stormy weather couldn’t dampen the spirits of Dublin’s Black Santa today (Thursday December 13) as the annual charity sit out was launched at St Ann’s Church, Dawson Street. The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Michael Jackson and the city’s Lord Mayor, Nial Ring, joined the Vicar of St Ann’s, Canon David Gillespie, the Verger, Fred Deane and a host of volunteers.
The choir of Kildare Place National School was in fine voice and led everyone in singing carols and festive songs while the Lord Mayor patrolled the pavement with a collection bucket and allowed pupils to try on the mayoral chain of office.
The sit out will run outside St Ann’s right up until Christmas Eve with volunteers joining, Canon Gillespie, to collect funds for a wide range of charities.
This is the 18th year that the Black Santa Sit Out has been held in Dublin and in that time well over €600,000 has been raised for local good causes. All the charities supported by Black Santa do invaluable work and every cent donated to the appeal is divided among them. There are no administration charges and all the collectors give their time for free.
Among the charities to benefit from Black Santa in the past are the Alice Leahy Trust, the Salvation Army, the Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust, all of whom work with people who are homeless. Other charities include Protestant Aid, Barnardos, St Vincent de Paul, the Laura Lynn Foundation and Solas Project. Cheques are distributed in St Ann’s in February at a special service which celebrates volunteers.
Each year the contribution of the choirs brings Christmas cheer to Dawson Street. This year there are more choirs than ever taking part including Castleknock National School St Andrew’s Lucan National School, Synge Street Primary School, Kildare Place National School, St James’ Primary School, John Scottus School Choir, CUS Senior School Choir, The King’s Hospital School Choir, Alexandra College Choir, Arc Choir, CÓRus, St Stephen’s Choir, Cornacupia Brass Band, Revenue Choir, Dublin Male Voice Choir, Seafield Singers, Discovery Choir, AIB Choral Society, Stellar Choir, The Line Up Choir and The Stedfast Band.
The Black Santa sit out is modelled on a similar appeal, which has been run by successive Deans of St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast for many years. It became known as the Black Santa appeal because of the long heavy black cloaks worn by the clergy to keep out the cold.