The Wolf Tones are trying to reach the Christmas number one with a special release of their ballad ‘Joe McDonnell’, with all proceeds going to charity.

Just a couple of weeks ago Football Association of Ireland CEO John Delaney was forced to make a grovelling apology, after he was recorded singing the controversial ballad in a Dublin pub following Ireland’s last game.

The ballad is a tribute to Joe McDonnell, who was a member of the Provisional IRA, but was perhaps more well known as one of the casualties of the Hunger Strikes in 1981 having gone 61 days without food while protesting at prison conditions.

The band have now tried to put a positive spin on the story, by releasing a special recording of the song that currently sits at number nine on the iTunes charts with all proceeds going towards the Simon Community.

Clearly the furore over John Delaney caught the public’s attention, as the song has found its way into the top ten without any airplay, and due to its controversial nature it is unlikely to receive any.

Proceeds from the single go towards The Simon Community, so it has received major attention in recent days after the fallout from the death of homeless man Jonathan Corrie.

The Dublin Simon Community works to prevent and address homelessness in Dublin, Wicklow and Kildare. There are an additional seven centres dealing with homelessness in the different regions of the country. Currently the Dublin centre is providing a service for 3,000 people.

The organisation relies heavily on fundraising and volunteers, which makes this move  a positive one as it has clearly already raised a lot for the charity with each download and will continue to do so.

Image credit: Nathan Ichiriu