Homelessness in Dublin

Madam, - It is with tears in my eyes I write to you

Madam, - It is with tears in my eyes I write to you. Having taken a wrong turn, as I often do in Dublin, having moved here only recently, I came across a small, homeless boy. He said he was 14, but looked more like 12. He wasn't even begging: he held a cup out but could not call to passers-by because he was crying too hard.

He had been beaten up the night before, his money and precious few belongings taken from him, and he was left without even a blanket to shield him from the wind. He was trying to get €40 together to get into a 12-week programme at a hostel for the homeless. Am I too sentimental, too naïve for giving this child a small donation? Or are far too many people cynical?

I would urge people not to vote in the coming election for those who promise the biggest tax cuts, but for those who promise to bridge the ever-increasing gap between rich and poor. In recent days your Letters page has been dominated by English and Irish people talking about pride. Next time you pass a homeless person, take two minutes from your middle-class day to talk to them, then talk about how proud you are to be Irish. - Yours, etc,

KATIE HARRINGTON,

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Sandyford,

Dublin 16.