The Sunday Independent’s Rock Against Homelessness, in aid of Focus Ireland, will take place on Friday 7th February 2025 at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin.
Featuring Damien Dempsey + Special Guests
Tickets priced from €40 on sale now with Ticketmaster Ireland
The Sunday Independent’s Rock Against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland celebrates ten years of amazing gigs and over €450,000 raised. One of the Irish artists of the year Damien Dempsey will headline the 10th anniversary of Rock Against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland on Fri. 7th February in 3Olympia, Dublin.
Focus Ireland reports that sadly the homelessness crisis has deepened again in the last year: a record total of just under 15,000 people are now homeless and shockingly this includes over 4,645 children. These figures demonstrate that we need events like Rock Against Homelessness now more than ever.
Hot on the release of his brilliant new album Hold The Joy, and subsequent sold out shows all over Ireland, Dempsey will put on a show that the nation needs right now: a powerful call to compassion, empathy and speaking up about something successive governments have done very little about.
Damien Dempsey said: ‘It makes me angry to my bones that in 2024 there are almost 5000 children without a home in Ireland and 15,000 people homeless. It is beyond words of anger or sadness that this issue has not been fixed. What are the so-called people in power doing about it ? Not a lot, as far as I can see. I often wonder about the fact that they can do nothing about homeless now but in the 1930s and 1940s - when Ireland was on its knees as a nation financially - they could still manage to build massive housing estates around Ireland for people to live in. Why can't they do that now? They are too busy selling out the people by selling the soul of Ireland to international vulture funds who couldn’t care less about anything or anyone other than money. Something needs to be done urgently about helping the homeless in Ireland.’
‘What do we need to do? I think we should really, really push the Government now to put it into law that people abroad can vote, that the Irish who were born abroad can vote in Ireland in a General election. There is 141 countries around the world that this happens in and we need to push for that in this country. That is important.’
CEO of Focus Ireland Pat Dennigan said: ‘The support and awareness we get from an event like this is amazing. Focus Ireland needs to raise over 40% of our annual budget through donations and events like Rock Against Homelessness so we really need people to support this magnificent event again this year. Damien Dempsey is well known for his strong voice on social justice, and it is a great fit to have him as the headline act for the 10th Rock Against Homelessness. The crisis has got worse as the number of people homeless has shot up 14% in the last year. These are not just percentages and statistics, but everyone is a real person whose life has been in crisis because they have lost their home. It is unforgivable that 4,645 children will be homeless this Christmas in Ireland. However, the situation would be a lot worse again without the hard work of Focus Ireland and other organisations. We are all working to help prevent and tackle homelessness and Focus Ireland helped 18,000 people last year who were homeless or at risk. We now provide over 1,600 permanent homes for families and individuals across the country through Focus Housing. It’s important to never forget that homelessness is a problem we can tackle when we work collectively. Having the support of partners like Cadbury’s, Arachas, Starbucks, the Hard Rock Cafe and the Independent is tremendous in showing what can be achieved.’
Barry Egan, who has put on Rock against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland for the last ten years for The Sunday Independent, said: ‘We have had some great performances from some great acts since we started. The Boomtown Rats in 2017 with Glen Hansard and The Strypes doing “Rat Trap” with 1700 people singing its grim chorus: “It’s a rat trap and you’ve been caught.” In 2020, it was impossible to forget Fontaines DC with Kneecap almost tearing the roof off the venue in one of the most powerful and incendiary shows I’ve ever seen. We also had Dermot Kennedy and Imelda May in 2018, Pillow Queens in 2021, Lyra in 2023. They have all been, in their own way, completely unique. There is something about Damien Dempsey headlining the tenth anniversary that is truly special. He’s about to sell out six shows at Vicar Street. His new album Hold The Joy is probably the record of the year with so many songs that powerfully reflect the uncomfortable reality of Ireland in the present day. Damien is a man who has been singing deep, deep from the heart for many years about the issues that many young people find themselves caught in, the hellish economic rat trap that Bob Geldof famously sang of in 1987. He is a true hero and the perfect person to headline and curate the show (with some very special guests soon to be announced) that already promises to be one of the gigs of the year.’
Peter Vandermeersch, CEO of Mediahuis who own The Sunday Independent, said: ‘It is clear and simple: in Ireland no man, no woman and no child should be without a home. This goes for people who were born here or for people who, with good reason, left their own land to find a safer place in this great and affluent country. The fact that so many people are still homeless in Ireland is big stain on the reputation of Éire. This is the country of the big tech companies, one of the richest in Europe, which has a surplus on its public finance balance. Giving all the people a roof above their head should be one of the main priorities of the next government. For me it will be a measure of the success or failure of a next Irish coalition.
‘Obviously I realise this is not easy. But a country with that many great entrepreneurs, creative spirits, wonderful people should be able to realise this simple goal: a home for all people living on the island of Ireland.
‘Mediahuis came to Ireland in 2019 when we acquired the biggest newspaper company in this land with great publications like The Irish Independent, The Sunday Independent, The Sunday World, The Herald, The Kerryman, The Sligo Champion and, in Northern Ireland, The Belfast Telegraph. We’re very proud that these titles, in print and online, are on a daily basis writing about the issues this country faces. But we want to do more than write about this country. We are part of the social fabric of Ireland and we want to help solve in a constructive way the issues we write about.
‘That’s why we’ve put our shoulders under the Rock Against Homelessness in aid of Focus in collaboration with an impressive line-up of great Irish artists. I can make a promise: we will not stop to support this cause until every man, woman and child in Ireland has a roof above their head. Then we’ll organise a major concert to celebrate how great this country is.’
Eoin Kellett, Managing Director, Mondelez Ireland: ‘Cadbury have had a long standing relationship with Focus Ireland and are once again very proud main sponsors of Rock Against Homelessness 2025. This special night makes a huge difference in both raising much needed funds for the charity, and also raising awareness of the work done by Focus Ireland. As a brand with a strong heritage in Irish communities, it is a privilege to be a position to try and give something back. We’d encourage everyone to support this very important cause.’
Celine Gilmer, Director Marketing, Starbucks and Hard Rock Cafe: ‘‘We are proud and honoured to continue our long affiliation with Rock Against Homelessness into 2025. While homeless numbers remain a major issue in Ireland, the thankless work Focus Ireland undertakes has been, and continues to be, absolutely crucial in combating the crisis. Their endeavour and resolve are truly inspirational, and we are privileged to support this most worthy of causes.’
CEO of Arachas Insurance Joey Wynne: ‘Last year, Focus Ireland helped almost 500 families out of homelessness, which highlights the importance of what Focus Ireland does every day, all around the country. As Ireland's largest nationwide broker, with 16 offices across Ireland, Arachas is proud to increase our support of Rock Against Homelessness in 2025, kicking off with what promises to be a fantastic gig in Dublin in February and subsequently bringing Rock Against Homelessness to other cities in Ireland later in the year, building on the recent success of the Galway event.’
Sponsored by Cadbury and Arachas Insurance – with Starbucks and Hard Rock Café – Rock Against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland goes on sale next Wednesday 18th December. Tickets priced €40 are available from www.ticketmaster.ie. Phone and internet bookings are subject to 12.5% charge.
