Bono and Imelda May Perform ‘Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)’ at Dublin Charity Busk
Bono joined Imelda May on Christmas Eve in Dublin for a performance of “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” during the annual Busk, the city’s long-running holiday charity event that raises funds for homelessness services.
Held on Grafton Street, the Busk has become a staple of Dublin’s Christmas celebrations over the past 15 years, bringing together Irish musicians for an open-air night of performances in support of the Dublin Simon Community, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness. This year’s event continued that tradition, drawing large crowds despite cold winter weather.
May opened the song with a spirited first verse, leaning into the track’s sense of yearning before Bono joined her onstage. The two shared harmonies through the chorus, with Bono briefly addressing the crowd mid-song, urging those gathered to raise their hands and celebrate the sense of collective goodwill that defines the evening. Their rendition remained faithful to the emotional core of the original while carrying the communal energy of the street performance.
“Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)” was first recorded by Darlene Love in 1963 for Phil Spector’s album A Christmas Gift for You. Though it was not an immediate hit upon release, the song became a holiday standard decades later, in part due to Love’s annual performances on late-night television. U2 famously covered the track in 1987 for the charity compilation A Very Special Christmas, which raised funds for the Special Olympics. Bono’s appearance at this year’s Busk echoed that earlier philanthropic context, reinforcing the song’s association with charitable causes.
The 2025 Busk featured a wide lineup of Irish artists alongside Bono and May. Organizer Glen Hansard led the event, with additional performances by Danny O’Donoghue of the Script, the Riptide Movement, Danny O’Reilly of the Coronas, and Shosby, among others. The evening concluded with a collective performance of the Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York,” a song that has become synonymous with Irish Christmas celebrations.
During the closing moments, May acknowledged the late Shane MacGowan, the Pogues’ frontman and co-writer of “Fairytale of New York,” noting that Christmas Day would have marked his birthday. MacGowan, who died in 2023, remains a towering figure in Irish music, and his presence loomed large over the night’s finale.
Bono has supported the Busk on multiple occasions in the past, and his appearance this year reinforced the event’s stature within Ireland’s cultural calendar. While informal in structure, the Busk has consistently raised substantial funds for charity, with proceeds directed toward emergency accommodation, outreach programs, and long-term housing initiatives through the Dublin Simon Community.
