Dublin Real Stories - Humans of Dublin Ireland - Stories of Care, Empathy & Love

The Volunteer Who Never Missed a Christmas Dinner for the Homeless

I first met Martin on Christmas morning outside a parish hall near Smithfield, when the city still had that half-asleep look, all silver pavements and closed shutters. I had signed up to…

Empathy

The Musician Who Played Outside the Hospital Every Friday

I first noticed him outside the Mater on a wet Friday in November, when the rain was coming down sideways over Eccles Street and everyone looked like they were carrying bad news…

Empathy

The Child Who Shared His Birthday Presents With Foster Kids

My son turned eight on a wet Saturday in Stoneybatter, the sort of Dublin day where the rain seems to hang in the air rather than fall. We had balloons taped to…

Empathy

A Widower Who Continued Buying Two Coffees Every Weekend

Every Saturday morning, I bought two coffees from the same little café off Grafton Street. One flat white for me, one oat latte for my wife, Nora. The habit started when she…

Empathy

The Bakery That Left Fresh Bread Outside Every Morning

I first noticed the bread on a Tuesday morning, when the city still looked half-asleep and the buses on Thomas Street were sighing at the kerb. I had been walking to a…

Empathy

The Girl Who Started Smiling at Everyone After Losing Her Own Smile

I used to be known for my smile. That sounds like a silly thing to say about yourself, but in my family it was almost my job. At weddings in Finglas, at…

Empathy

The Postman Who Became an Old Woman’s Only Friend

I delivered letters around Stoneybatter for nearly seventeen years, long enough to know which dogs were harmless, which doors stuck in winter, and which houses had gone quiet after somebody died. People…

Empathy

The Teenager Who Visited an Elderly Neighbour Every Sunday

I was sixteen when my mother first sent me across the landing to Mrs Kavanagh’s flat in Stoneybatter with a plate of brown bread and a warning not to come back in…

Empathy

The Hairdresser Who Gave Free Haircuts Before Job Interviews

I met Martin on a wet Tuesday morning in Dublin, the kind of morning where the rain seems to come up from the footpath as much as down from the sky. I…

Empathy

A Doctor Who Always Stayed Five Minutes Longer for Every Lonely Patient

I first noticed it on a wet Tuesday evening in Smithfield, when the windows of our small GP clinic had gone black and the buses hissed past like tired animals. I was…