Scary creatures are heaped up inside the door of Dublin's Mansion House. Ghouls, witches . . . yiiiikes . . . vampires, warlocks, wizards . . . aaaghh . . . devils, grim reapers . . . Yo, hey. Lauren Coe (8), a vampirella, and Jane Kendlin (8), a witch, both from Howth Road National School, are ready to rock at a concert to launch a national badge campaign to raise funds for The Children's Hospital, Temple Street.
Ciaran Moran (5) wants to "have a go on" vampire Pete Ruotolo's scooter. His brother, Shane Moran (10), is here with his father, Johnny Boyle, a chef from Dublin and more family members, all waiting to hear The DuBuBoys. Kerry Connolly (7), from Scotland, wants her name recorded in the column as well.
Even grown-ups Aoife Flynn from Dun Laoghaire and David Costello from Sandymount are in disguise for the Temple Street rock gig to raise money for a magnetic resonance imaging machine. Juliet Turner is due on stage shortly. The Screaming Orphans from Bundoran, who have just released a new single called Little Affair, are tuning up as well. Watch out for their new album, Listen and Learn, in the new year. The four are not orphans at all. They're sisters - Marie Therese Diver is the oldest, then Grainne followed by Angela and the youngest is Joan.
In a gold lace dress, Katie Dunne (3) is the only princess around. Her mother and father, Linda McDonnell and John Dunne are here keeping an eye on her. Her teenage sister, Evlyn McDonnell, is not in costume. Celebrities include Gerry Ryan, who's in New York today with his wife, Morah, to meet Bill and Hillary (you know who); his brother, Michael Ryan, an RTE producer, is helping out too, while his wife, Janice, organises the event; Mark McCabe, the 2FM DJ, keeps his number-one hit, Maniac, under wraps today in case he is mobbed by all the children milling around. Keith Duffy, with his son Jordan (4), is here too. And Mr Ireland, Padraidh Hearns, who is just back from Edinburgh and the Mr World contest, where he was pipped at the post by Mr Uruguay. "I should have got it," he says. True.