FORMER TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen slept rough recently for charity – and now the Dean of Christ Church will also sleep out to shine a light on homelessness.

On Friday 17 October, the Very Reverend Dermot Dunne, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, will ‘sleep rough’ in the Iveagh Gardens on cardboard.

During the night, he will have just a sleeping bag and a cup of soup with him.

The Dean is to sleep rough as said he thinks it is “unacceptable that over 5,000 people are homeless in Ireland today and that one in seven [of them] is a child”.

He will be taking part in the Shine a Light Night event, which is run by Focus Ireland, which provides services for homeless people.

The Dean has committed to raising €5,000 by 17 October, and is asking people to sponsor him.

Dean Dunne said: “Focus Ireland is a very important charity and do such wonderful work in the homeless sector. Your support will not only raise critical funds, it brings us all together to help people who are homeless or at risk.”

To sponsor the Dean, people can visit visit the Focus Ireland site or send a cheque to Christ Church Cathedral, Christ Church place, Dublin 8, made payable to Focus Ireland.

TheJournal.ie recently ran a series on homelessness in Ireland. Find all the articles at this link.

Read: Brian Cowen will be sleeping rough tonight (but don’t worry, it’s for charity)>