A group of charity carol singers who have been collecting money in Dublin pubs for at least 20 years have decided not to do so this year, due to fears for the safety of those involved.
Carelocal, whose mission is to to assist older people to remain living in their own homes, estimates that the move will deprive it of €20,000 in much-needed funding this year.
However, according to one of its directors, Anthony Carrick, the decision to cancel this year's fundraising drive is due to the "perceived level of violence" in the Dublin city area.
While he stressed that volunteers had not been subjected to any violent incidents, Mr Carrick said the charity had decided to introduce a one-year "moratorium" on the annual collection, in part due to concerns raised by some of the volunteers involved.
The initiative, which runs throughout December, usually involves between five and six individuals, supported by one or two drivers, singing carols for customers of pubs typically located in the Ranelagh/Rathmines and Dublin 8 areas.
The events usually begin at about 9pm, and can go on until late into the night.
"Concerns were raised about what is traditionally older people carrying around buckets of cash," he said.
"We have a duty of care to our volunteers, so maybe next year we will do it differently, maybe by doing it earlier."