There was nothing but high spirits and festive vibes in Temple Bar last Sunday afternoon, as band Attention Bébé took out their instruments in aid of Irish guide dogs for the blind.
The band braced the cold of the cobbled streets, wrapped up warmly with puppies at their side to raise some well needed funds for the national charity.
In just two hours, Attention Bébé and helpers raised over €1000, which will go towards helping to train new puppies to be guide dogs.
This annual event is the brainchild of Etaoin Gray, whose family used to train guide dogs. They have been involved in fundraising for Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind for almost 10 years and gained the support of Attention Bébé a number of years ago. Since then the Temple Bar busking session has grown in popularity and is a real treat to see and hear.
“The crowd are loving it”, said Rachel Bothwell, an onlooker at the busking session. “There really is a huge crowd gathering now. It started with a few but now it’s building up to loads!”
Attention Bébé are a brass band made up of 13 musicians who play a range of instruments including sax, trumpet, trombone, French horn, guitar, tuba, keys, drums, bass, percussion and violin.
The band has grown in popularity since successful performances at Electric Picnic and Knockanstockan and is a regular at Twisted Pepper, Whelans and the Button Factory.
The band drew a big crowd while performing in Temple Bar with a mix of Christmas carols and 90s crowd-pleasers such as Maniac and Vengabus.